Sierra's One Shots!

Thank you, makgeolli! (막걸리 고마워~ ^^)

2011-09-21T01:37:00.000+08:00

Fighter: When will you be in Seoul?
M-Girl: This weekend.
Fighter: Shall we meet?

******

I’m standing in the evening chill of Insadong, waiting for him. I’d expected him to be late, since I was the one on vacation and he had a schedule to follow whilst in Seoul. As I waited, I wondered if I would be able to recognize him when he stood in front of me. Photos online can be very deceiving. Even my own!

I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“M-Girl?” he said in his Korean accented English.

“Ne,” I smiled.

JACKPOT! He looked exactly like his photos. Then again, he was a public figure, no matter how minor. You’d hardly expect him to look shabby. He was wearing jeans and a zipped up sports jacket. He had on a cap that was pulled down a little to shield his face.

“Do people recognize you a lot?” I asked immediately, not even bothering to conceal whatever curiosity I had of him.

“Not always,” he smiled.

He reminded me of SUJU’s Choi Si Won, with the mature charisma of the actor, Uhm Tae Woong. When he smiled, you could feel warmth with a hint of cheekiness coming from him. I was definitely smitten.

“I was thinking that your cap was a disguise,” I laughed.

“Ani, it’s just the trend to wear it this way,” he laughed. “Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, “you’re the native.”

By now I was nervously touching my hair, clutching my bag, and just shifting my weight from one foot to the other as we stood there and continued our conversation.

“I’m not from Seoul either,” he replied, “but I do know a nice place.”

We ended up at a Hanok that served traditional Korean side dishes and makgeolli. The Hanok, a traditional Korean house, was situated is a quieter part of Insadong. It was dimly lit and the seating layout offered more privacy for those who want to have a quiet conversation without the hustle and bustle of the main areas of Insadong. You could even say it was a little romantic.

“Konbae!” he said as he held up his bowl of makgeolli, proposing a toast.

“If this weren’t a cultural experience, I’d think you were trying to get me drunk,” I smiled as I held my bowl up. “Konbae!” I replied, and we clinked our bowls together.

“Mashisseoyo?” he asked me.

“I’m not a drinker, but this tastes really nice,” I replied.

“Try the dishes,” he said, pushing some of the plates towards me.

I went straight for the pajeon and jabchae, putting one immediately after the other into my mouth.

“Have you had these before?”

“Pajeon, jabchae? Sure!” I replied.

“You like it?” he asked.

“Jabchae is my favourite,” I said, “and of course samgyupsal,” I smiled sheepishly.

“Waah… you don’t look like a girl who eats samgyupsal,” he laughed.

“I don’t?”

“You’re slim,” he said.

“Oh… I hide my fats well,” I replied. “In fact I think if you cut off my belly fats, you could make a week’s worth of samgyupsal for 1 person,” I giggled.

He burst out laughing, and my giggles escalated to uncontrollable laughter. We struggled to stop laughing, ending up with tears streaming down our faces.

“Is that so funny?” I asked him between my gasps of laughter.

“Ne,” he replied, gasping as he did, “I have never seen a girl poke fun of herself like that before.”

“Maybe not Korean girls,” I smiled.

Our dinner continued with more conversation and laughter. I told him about my life working in Singapore, and he told me about his career. It was pretty dark when we were done, and by then I was a little buzzed from the makgeolli, even though I had kept to only 2 bowls.

“Have you seen my videos?” he asked me.

“The ones you uploaded recently?” I replied.

“Ne,” he said.

I burst into a giggle, fueled by the makgeolli and at the memory of a particular video I saw on his homepage.

“Wae?” he said. “Was it so funny?”

“Mianhae,” I replied, still bent over, giggling. “I think I’m a bit drunk.”

“You foreign girls really can’t drink,” he laughed. “Need help?”

He reached out his hands and helped me straighten up. Then he wrapped my right hand around the back of his waist.

“Try to stay up now,” he smiled, and put his arm around my shoulder.

I had stopped giggling then as I was totally surprised by the gesture. I haven’t been this close to hugging a guy for awhile now, and because I’d just met him, I was a bit thrown off by it.

“Do you always do this?” I asked.

“What?” he replied.

“Skinship on first meeting,” I said.

“No,” he said, and he started walking, and I had to move along with him since we were in that position.

“Are you taking advantage of me because I’m a foreigner?” I said; that was definitely the makgeolli speaking. I had never in my life called a guy out like that before.

“No,” he replied simply, and we just continued walking.

We got to the subway station, took a train together back to my guesthouse, and he walked me to my doorstep. All the way home, except when going through the gates of the subway station, we remained stuck to each other.

Out of all the guys I have ever had the pleasure, or displeasure, of being in such close proximity, I’ve never met a guy with such solid muscles, and yet, it didn’t feel like I was hugging a rock at all. He felt nice and warm, especially on that chilly night, and he smelled nice.

We stood in silence a few meters away from the front door of my guesthouse. We had since ‘parted’ and were standing face to face.

“So I’ll see you again if you’re still around next week?” he said.

“Sure,” I replied. “I’ll still be here. Give me a buzz,” I replied.

“Cool,” he smiled.

“Bye,” I said, and I sort of held out my hand for a handshake, which felt a bit stupid and out of place considering we were practically glued to each other just moments ago.

He took my hand, and very slowly, pulled me towards him, into his arms. It was definitely the makgeolli still controlling me, since I did nothing and followed his lead.

“Thanks for coming,” he said as he hugged me.

I closed my eyes for a moment. It was really just a few seconds, but it felt like we’d stood there for an hour in each other’s arms. I leaned against his body, wanting to absorb his heat and to calm my heart that’s beating out of control.

Finally, he took a step back. I looked up, and he looked down at me at the same time, and he kissed me.

Thank you, makgeolli!

On T.O.P Again

2009-01-04T02:02:00.009+08:00

As requested, this is a follow up to A Night on T.O.P. I wrote this also because I've not been able to stop thinking about him since all those Gayo Daejeon performances for the past week. Especially that Hip Hop stage with G-D and Dynamic Duo... *drools*

Listen to We Belong Together, Strong Baby, then Haru Haru (Acoustic Version) while reading this.

I will have to warn you that this one is 10 times steamier than the last one. Proceed with caution Happy New Year!!!

Starring T.O.P of Big Bang

========================================================

“Kamsahamnida,” I said to the check-in officer as she handed me my boarding pass and passport.

I picked up my handbag and slung it firmly on my shoulder before pulling up my trolley bag to leave the counter. I’m leaving Seoul for Malaysia today.

The past week had been a whirlwind. My friend, Sara, was a superb host and really took the time to show me around. If it wasn’t for her, my week in Seoul would not have been so memorable; especially after that night with TOP. But you know how they always say that lightning never strikes at the same place twice? Keojitmal… (Lies…)

I was browsing through the goodies at the Lotte Duty Free shops, when I was greeted by a familiar voice.

“Are you stalking me?” he said.

Do you know the feeling of having warm melted chocolate poured all over your body? I’ve never experienced it, but it sure felt like it.

“TOP-sshi,” I smiled.

“You haven’t answered my question,” he said as he took off his sunglasses.

He wasn’t wearing any eyeliner today.

“Why would you think that?” I asked him.

“Just because you don’t have makeup on today, doesn’t make it a disguise. You actually look the same with or without makeup,” he said.

“You mean I don’t look better with makeup?” I said, my hand consciously touching my face.

“I didn’t say that,” he said and leant casually on the rack I was browsing through. “You still look pretty good.”

This was where the whole situation got more interesting. As if it were part of a plot in a romance comedy, the rack he was leaning on gave way and everything fell to the floor. I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter, as he tried to fix the rack. The look of bewilderment on his face was priceless. Ironically, if I had captured it on video, I’ll be earning a lot from it.

After a few seconds, and before the staff arrived, he gave up, and instead grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the shop with him. We walked quickly, and he pulled his cap lower to hide his face as we walked quickly to a quieter area. I was taking a late flight, so the airport wasn’t as busy as usual.

Halfway there, he stopped and fumbled around the pockets of his jacket and jeans.

“My shades,” he groaned.

“Stay here,” I laughed, and walked back to the shop to find them.

When I got there, a staff was busy putting the shelf back up and replacing the items on it. Thank god I was looking at candy, not some breakable souvenirs.

“Chogiyo,” I said to the staff, “have you seen a pair of sunglasses?”

“You mean these?” he said gruffily, and held them up to me.

“Ye… komapseumnida,” I smiled brightly at him.

“No problem,” he smiled back.

I walked back to where I had left TOP and found him leaning against the wall in a secluded corner with my luggage.

“Ajeosshi…” I called out to him, holding out his shades as I approached him.

“Thanks,” he grinned as he intercepted it.

This is where I should swoon and sigh, because I know most girls would, but I’m too fixated on the fact that I’ve bumped into him for the 2nd time now. All I could do was watch him as he stood in front of me, putting on his shades and adjusting his cap.

“What?” he asked when he realized I was still standing there.

“Nothing,” I smiled. “I guess I’ll get going now,” and I reached for my luggage beside him.

“Chamkan,” he said, as he grabbed my hand to stop me.

I looked at him, and blinked. I was trying to maintain a neutral expression because I could feel my face turning red from his touch. I fought the urge to caress his hand as he kept it there while talking to me.

“Can we go somewhere?” he asked.

“Your flight?” I said.

“It’s not for another 3 hours. Yours?” he asked me.

“Same,” I replied.

“So you have time?” he asked again.

“Would anyone refuse TOP of Big Bang?” I smiled, and he laughed.

“K’opi hanjan mashilkka?” he rapped and gave me that irresistible smirk of his.

“Whatever you want,” I replied.

“Hmm… then I think I don’t want coffee anymore,” he winked.

I glared at him, pretending to be offended, and he just laughed as we walked towards a café.

“So… I didn’t think I’d bump into you here,” he said.

“I didn’t think you’d remember me,” I said.

“Do I look like such a person?” he asked me.

“Hmm… maybe,” I laughed. “I don’t expect you to remember a girl you necked with at a club.”

“We didn’t just neck,” he smiled. “We danced too.”

“Don’t remind me,” I grimaced. “I’m not much of a dancer.”

“Are you kidding me?” he exclaimed. “You could’ve wiped the floor clean with those moves.”

“What? By sliding across it, face flat?” I laughed.

“You’re really funny,” he laughed with me. “But honestly, you’re quite good,” he concluded, before sipping his drink.

“Thanks,” I acknowledged his compliment. “So where are you off to?” I asked him.

“Japan, with the boys,” he said.

“Where are they?”

“Why? You don’t want some TOP today?” he teased. “Looking for some G-D or something else?”

“Of course not,” I said coyly as I hid behind my cup. “I’m all for TOP.”

“You girls always say that, but when I turn around, I’ll see you’ve found some other guy to tease.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “I’m not like that.”

“Sure,” he smirked some more.

“Aren’t you afraid of being spotted?” I asked him as I looked around.

“It’s pretty safe inside here. I usually come to this spot because it’s the least crowded spot in the airport.”

“Nice…” I said, and put a forkful of cake in my mouth.

“Erm… you got something…” he said, gesturing to the side of his lips.

“Where?” I said, licking the side of my lips to no avail.

“Here,” he said, finally reaching forward and wiping off the cream for me with his thumb.

“Thanks,” I smiled and he smiled back as he took another sip of coffee.

Soon coffee and cakes were gone, and we’d run out of polite conversation. Less than an hour had passed since we’d sat down at the café.

“So…” he said, and cleared his throat. “We should get going…”

“Do you think I can leave my luggage with you for awhile?” I interrupted.

“Huh?”

“I need to go somewhere for a bit, but I don’t wanna lug it about,” I said. “You’re not leaving yet, are you?”

“No,” he said, and started getting up. “Let’s leave it with the guys.”

He brought me to the VIP lounge where the rest of Big Bang were sprawled around, waiting for their flight.

“Look who I bumped into,” he announced as we walked in.

“Hey! I remember you!” Seung Ri exclaimed.

“Annyeong haseyo,” I bowed.

“Where are you heading to?” G-Dragon asked.

“Home,” I replied.

“Ah…” they all chorused.

“Sierra and I need to go somewhere for a bit,” TOP announced. “We’ll leave her bag here.”

“Sure,” G-Dragon answered, and wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I giggled, and TOP guided me out of the room with his hand on my shoulder.

“So where did you want to go?” he asked me.

“Wherever you wanna go,” I replied.

“Did you…” he choked out. “Was that…”

“Yes,” I smiled.

“You know…” he smiled, and it was the naughtiest smile I’ve seen by far. “It’s times like these when I’m reminded how adept women are at scheming.”

“Scheming?” I said innocently.

“Come on,” he laughed, and led me away from the door of the VIP lounge.

He led me a few doors away, and opened the door to a conference room.

“Will this suffice?” he asked, waving his hand in flourish.

“Well,” I said as I walked in, then turned around to face him, “sure beats the stairwell at the back of a club.”

He closed the door, and turned the lock. I moved backwards until my body was against the table.

“TOP-shii,” I said as he came to stand in front of me, and rested his hand at the base of my neck. “Mwohae?”

“Giving you what you want,” he smiled, and leaned down to kiss me.

I wrapped my hands around the lapels of his jacket and pulled him closer against me as his tongue slipped into my mouth. He braced one arm on the table behind me, and supported my back with the other as he gently lowered me until I lay on the table, his lips not leaving mine.

I was wearing a short skirt today. Not sure why I’d decided on this outfit today. I had on a bright yellow linen button shirt, and a short jacket, and paired them with my short denim skirt and leather sneakers. TOP wore the usual jeans and T-shirt ensemble, and topped them off with a black and gold jacket, and white high-tops.

He pulled away for a moment, unzipped his jacket, took off his cap, and tossed them onto the table. Then he ran his hands down my arms, to my wrist, then lifted my arms to lock them on either sides of my head. I lifted my head slightly, and kissed him lightly on the lips. He smiled, and leaned down to slowly nibble my neck. I gasped with pleasure as his lips made contact with the sensitive spot near my ear.

“TOP,” I breathed his name.

He didn’t answer. He pushed my jacket open, and he undid the first button of my shirt. I reached for his hand, and stopped him before he went to the next button. He looked up at me, and I shook my head slowly.

“Araso,” he said, softly, then leant back down to slowly kiss my face.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and my legs around his waist as we continued kissing, and if he were paying me back for touching him that night, he started caressing my legs with his hands. I moaned softly as he slowly ran his hand up my thighs, stopping just before he had to put his hand under my skirt. This time, I was aching for him to continue, but he didn’t. I could only console myself with the feel of his toned body pressing on top of mine.

He rolled over and pulled me on top of him, so that my legs straddled his waist. I leaned down until my lower body was pressed against his, and returned his earlier favors. I kissed him gently, again and again, on the lips, but just as his hand reached up to pull me closer and deepen the kiss, I pulled away and turned my attention to his jaw line, his neck, and finally, his ears. He groaned when I ran a finger down the side of his neck, from his earlobe to his collarbone, then he decided he’d had enough, and rolled over to pin me underneath him again.

This time, there were no interruptions, no pausing; just silent, passionate kissing, gentle caresses and some occasional moans from either of us. The last time, it had been a hurried and brief encounter, but today, knowing we had time, we were indulging ourselves.

We continued kissing, and did nothing else, as if it were the only thing we needed to do now. We hardly stopped for air. We just kept our bodies pressed tightly against each others’; inhaling each others’ scent and trying to soak up every bit of warmth we could. At one moment, our shirts had ridden up so much from all the movement that our skin met briefly for a second. I could feel him shiver from the contact, and he reached down to pull my shirt back over my stomach, as if he couldn’t handle the meeting of our flesh against each others’.

Sometime later, we lay next to each other on the table, catching our breaths. He held my hand in his, and caressed it absently, as if we’d known each other for years.

“Is this really the last time?” I broke the silence, and giggled softly.

I felt drunk. Drunk on passion…

“I don’t know,” he smiled, as he turned to look at me. “The 3rd time would be a charm, and I might have to make you permanent.”

“You wish,” I laughed.

“Let’s just keep in touch,” he said as he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.

“Chintcha?” I said.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked.

“You wouldn’t have time anyway,” I said, and brought his hand to my cheek.

“I’ll find some time for you,” he said, and started to sit up.

He looked at his watch, reminded of the time since we were talking about it, and frowned.

“Is it time?” I asked him.

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” he smiled.

He jumped off the table and turned to me. I stretched out both my arms, and he pulled me up to sit on the table. I handed him his jacket and cap, and helped him put them on. He zipped up his jacket, adjusted his cap, then turned back to face me and reached forward to button up that single button he had unbuttoned earlier. He brushed aside a stray hair that had fallen across my face, then straightened up my jacket for me.

I slid off the table and tried to stand, but my legs felt like jelly, and I had to grab onto him for support.

“It’s nice to know I have that sort of effect on women,” he said.

“What effect?” I said, not wanting to give him the total satisfaction of knowing that he had turned me into a pile of goo.

“You know it,” he winked, and I snorted indignantly.

We started walking towards the door once I felt that I was able to move, and just as we were about to reach it, he pulled me into a hug.

“TOP?” I called his name. I can never get enough of calling his name.

“Seung Hyun,” he whispered into my ear. “When you write to me, call me Seung Hyun.”

“Ne… Seung Hyun,” I replied.

“Kaja,” he said, and released me.

He unlocked the door, and stole another kiss before he opened it and ushered me out.

“Is my hair okay?” I asked him as we walked towards the VIP lounge.

“It’s fine,” he replied. “I think I’ll date short-haired girls from now on,” he smiled.

“Why?”

“Low-maintenance,” he replied, and I giggled.

“We were beginning to wonder if you were coming back,” G-Dragon said as soon as we walked in.

“I’m back, aren’t I?” Seung Hyun replied.

“It’s almost boarding time,” Tae Yang reminded him as he grabbed my luggage for me.

“Yea,” he said. “I’ll just send her to her gate and I’ll be back.”

“You’d better,” G-Dragon said, sounding a lot like a nagging mother.

“Bye…” Seung Ri waved at me, moving his fingers instead of his whole hand.

“Bye…” I laughed and waved back.

“Where’s your gate?” he asked, as he closed the door.

“Shouldn’t you get back inside?” I said. “I can’t get to my gate on my own.”

“I’ll take you there,” he said.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to take my bag out of his hands. “You shouldn’t draw attention to yourself.”

“There’s hardly anyone around,” he said, moving the bag out of my reach. “I’ll take you there,” he added, and started walking.

Now I knew why he’d been described as a stubborn person in his profile on those fan sites.

He walked me all the way until we were one gate away from the gate I was boarding at.

“I’ll leave you here,” he said.

“Araso,” I replied.

“Here,” he said, and stuffed a piece of paper in my hand.

I held it up. On it, he’d written his phone number and email address. So he wasn’t lying when he said he’d wanted to keep in touch.

“Call me whenever you’re in Seoul,” he said. “Email me whenever you have time.”

“I will,” I smiled.

“I trust you not to disclose my contact information.”

“I’ll take them to my grave,” I said, and put my hand over my heart.

“You can send me photos of you,” he grinned. “Sexy photos.”

“We’ll see about that,” I laughed.

“Okay. I’ll go now,” he said.

“Bye,” I said, and held out my hand, intending to shake his, which was a pretty awkward gesture after what we’d just done together.

He looked at my hand for a moment, hesitating. Then he took my hand.

“Chalga,” he said, squeezing it gently.

We slowly released each others’ hand, and at the last minute, I moved forward to give him a quick hug.

“Chalga,” I said, and quickly turned to walk away.

I was almost at the gate, when he called out to me.

“Yah,” he said, and I whirled around. “Don’t forget me.”

I smiled at him, and waved, then turned my attention to the officer who’s checking my boarding pass.

“I won’t,” I whispered as I walked into the departure lounge, watching him as he walked away.

I can hear the entire population of Big Bang fans screaming “Keojitmal!” at me. But whenever I log into my email account and find a quick note from Seung Hyun waiting for me… whenever my phone beeped and I’d find a random text message from Seung Hyun that made me laugh… I think to myself “Who cares?” I’m the one who’s been on TOP, again and again.

The Bump

2008-10-03T15:56:00.001+08:00

It's time again... the 'once in a blue moon' post that I would write that would have nothing to do with K-Celebs... ^_^

I threatened my colleague... I told him that I'd write an embarassing piece about him, but this was what I came up with eventually...

The Bump

It was a spot; a single, solitary, bump on the otherwise relatively smooth surface. I could see it throbbing… the insides ready to explode out any moment. I maneuvered my hands carefully… careful not to touch it. Bursting it would be disastrous… all efforts wasted. Every so often, I’d skim across its surface gently, marveling how the taut, thin skin could hold in the contents. Another 10 minutes, I was done. Mission accomplished! I scooped it up, and put it into my mouth. I bit into it and let the heavenly juice flood my mouth. God… I love egg yolks ;)

A Night on T.O.P

2008-08-24T01:47:00.013+08:00

This fiction would be rated R for the slightly steamy scenes that are going to happen. But I guess if you can handle it... read on! ^_^

Starring T.O.P of Big Bang

==============================================

It was a cool night in March. I’d taken the week off to travel to Seoul to meet with a friend. I’d planned this trip for almost a year, and finally I’m here.

“Let’s go to this club tonight,” my friend Sara suggested.

Sara’s the ideal Korean girl; long hair, innocent smile, slim figure, legs that went on for miles. It was odd how she always thinks I’m better looking. I was shorter than Sara, which made me look a little rounder even if we had the same body type, my hair was short, and I don’t smile that much.

“Oh right! That club you mentioned when we last chatted online.”

“Yea… you wanted to do some celebrity spotting; this is the place,” she laughed.

“Alright, I’m game!” I said. “Who else is coming?”

“I’ll call a few more girlfriends and maybe a guy or two,” she smiled.

She got 5 friends to go with us; 3 girls and 2 guys. Around 10pm, we made our way to the club.

Sara was dressed in a really cute blue dress with leggings and a pair of funky boots. She accessorized with huge earrings that peeked out of her long, flowing hair. It’s definitely sexy to have long hair.

I’m a jeans girl. I painstakingly buttoned on my skinnies, put on a loose, asymmetrical black top, and a studded belt around my waist. I accessorized with silver and leather jewelry then wore a pair of boots that came up to my calves, and tucked my jeans in.

As we walked into the club, we were immediately assaulted by the loud beats of the hip hop music. I did a quick check in the mirrors along the corridor as we walked in to make sure my eyeliner and lipstick hadn’t run. One of Sara’s guy friends, Yu Jong, snagged us a table close to the dance floor. The other guy made himself useful by getting us a bucket of beer.

As promised, the place had not disappointed. I spotted a handful of celebrities hanging out at the VIP corners.

“Omigod!” I yelled into Sara’s ear over the loud music. “Is that Kim Dong Wan?”

“Yea,” she smiled.

“Let’s go dance?” Ji Min, one of Sara’s girlfriends motioned to us.

3 of us, Ji Min, Sara and I, shimmied towards the dance floor and started dancing. Midway through the song, we could hear a commotion coming from the entrance. We turned around and saw Dae Sung from Big Bang walking in.

“Sara!” I squealed excitedly. “It’s Big Bang!”

“Omo!” Sara squealed.

We were both huge Big Bang fans, and we were pretty excited to see them walking in. The rest of the band filed in after Dae Sung, and were shown to a VIP corner. They were all dressed up like they were about to shoot an MV, complete with eyeliner on G-Dragon and TOP.

“Omigod!” I squealed. “TOP is so hot!”

“Yes… I know!!!” Sara squealed back.

We were both TOP and G-Dragon fans, but in person, TOP just looked more like a man to us both.

“Do you think I could get their autograph?” I asked Sara.

“You wanna try?” she asked me.

“You’ll need to help me, in case they don’t understand my Korean,” I laughed.

“Okay,” she smiled.

We started walking towards the VIP corner where Big Bang was, and as we almost neared their table, their bodyguards blocked the way.

“This area is off-limits,” one of them said.

“Can we please just get their autograph?” I asked.

“No,” another replied.

“My friend here is from overseas. She just wants to get an autograph. Please help us,” Sara said.

One of the guards’ face lit up with interest when he heard that I was a foreigner.

“I’ll have to check with Big Bang’s manager,” he said. “Wait here.”

He turned and left us with the other guard while he informed the manager. As soon as he ended his explanation, the manager looked up at us and motioned for us to go over.

“That was easy,” I whispered to Sara.

“I guess they don’t get too many foreign fans wanting to meet them?” she giggled.

“Hi,” the manager said as we approached. “Where are you from?” he asked in English.

“I’m from Malaysia,” I replied.

“Oh… Malaysia,” he smiled. “Do you speak Korean?”

“Chogeum,” I replied in my half-decent Korean.

“You can get your autographs, and if they are okay with it, you can take pictures. But if they decline, please do not make a scene,” he instructed.

“Ne,” Sara and I nodded.

The manager brought us over and introduced us.

“Hey guys,” he said. “You have a fan from overseas here.”

All 5 of them turned and looked at us.

“Hi!” I smiled and waved.

“Hi!” G-Dragon immediately replied.

He sounded as high pitched in person as he did on TV and recordings. Most of all, he was really small. He was slimmer in person, proving that cameras really do make you put on a few pounds. I envied his body. He could get away with wearing anything.

“Where are you from?” Seung Ri asked.

“Malaysia,” I replied.

“Where’s that?” Tae Yang whispered to Seung Ri.

“It’s between Singapore and Thailand,” I described.

“Ooh…” all 5 of them chorused.

“Sit down,” G-Dragon said as he patted the empty seat beside his.

Sara and I sat down immediately.

“What about you?” they asked Sara.

“I’m local,” she smiled. “My friend here is a huge fan like me, and she really wanted to meet you before she left Seoul.”

“Lucky you,” G-Dragon smiled. “You bumped into us tonight.”

“Yea… lucky me,” I laughed.

“So who’s your favourite?” Dae Sung asked.

“G-Dragon… and TOP,” I smiled.

“Aww…” Seung Ri moaned and made a sad face.

“I like all of you,” I quickly added. “But I like watching G-Dragon and TOP more.”

“Seung Hyunnnie! Shouldn’t you greet your fan?” G-Dragon said.

It was then when I realized that TOP had been quiet since we approached the table. He’s quite shy in person, but he looked hot. The more I looked at him, the more I could see why Sara and I fell for him. He wasn’t really a looker, but he had an air of mystery and superiority around him.

“Hi,” he mumbled.

“Can we have your autographs?” Sara said, breaking the awkward moment.

“Sure,” the guys replied and accepted the little notebook we had brought with us, in case we were to bump into any celebrities.

“You want a photo with us?” Seung Ri suggested after they were done signing the book, without Sara and I asking.

“Yes please,” I smiled.

We sat in between the 5 of them, while their manager took the photo for us.

“Komapseumnida,” Sara and I bowed to them after we were done, and we started walking away.
We went back to our table and went berserk about it for a good 10 minutes with the other girls, then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and came face to face with TOP. Well, not exactly face to face, since he towered above me at 180cm.

“Can we dance?” he asked, without looking at my face.

“Excuse me?” I asked, not believing what I’d just heard.

“I kinda lost a game with the guys, and the punishment was to dance with you,” he said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Can we just get this over with?” he said impatiently.

All the time we were talking, the others at my table we watching and listening intently. Even the next tables were scrutinizing us. I bet they wondered who I was and why TOP was talking to me.

“Go on,” Sara hissed at me.

“Okay,” I said.

He held out his hand, and I put mine in his. He had big hands. Then again, it could be me who has small hands. My hands were kinda small, compared to most girls of my size and height. No, I’m not overweight or anything. I’m just not small or painfully thin, and yet I had small hands and size 4 feet.

We moved towards the dance floor and all eyes were on us. TOP started dancing, moving slowly but confidently; leading and encouraging me to dance. I watched him for a few seconds to catch his beat, then I started dancing too. He looked a little surprised when he realized that I could sort of dance.

It’s now or never…

That’s what I was thinking when he took my hand. I would never get a chance to be this close to him ever, and after tonight, we would never see each other again. So I decided to be bold, and started dancing closer and closer to him. Instead of being shocked, TOP stood where he was, and allowed me to get closer. I put a hand on his chest and slowly moved around him, following the beat of the music. As I ended the circle around him, he grabbed me by that hand, and pulled me nearer so that our bodies were touching. All this time, we were looking at each other, face to face, our eyes locked on each other’s. He had such mesmerizing eyes.

As we grinded against each other, our faces came inches of each others’. I could hear the rest of Big Bang cheering him on, and people had started taking notice of us. Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug.

“Meet me out the back,” he whispered.

He let me go as quickly as he had pulled me into his arms, and bowed, to thank me for the dance. He walked away, leaving me a little dazed and confused, alone on the dance floor.

“Are you okay?” Sara came up to me and dragged me back to the table.

“I’m okay,” I mumbled.

“Omigod!” Ji Min exclaimed. “You danced with TOP!”

“Yea!” Sara exclaimed. “How did it feel?”

“It was nice,” I smiled. “I need to go to the toilet.”

“You were that nervous?” Yu Jong laughed.

“Do you need me to accompany you?” Sara asked.

“Nah. I’m fine. Stay here,” I said, and I started walking away from our table, towards the backdoor of the club.

I walked through the entrance and closed the door, and I saw TOP standing there, leaning against the wall. I could here the music thumping loudly through the door, but most of all, I could hear my heart thumping.

“Erm… why did you want to see me?” I asked him.

“Come with me,” he said and led me towards a flight of stairs.

We walked up the quiet and dark stairs until we reached a landing. The landing was dimly lit by a small window where the street light shone through.

“You’re pretty brave,” he said, “coming out here with a stranger.”

“Huh?” I said, stupidly.

“I could have you raped and killed and no one would know,” he said.

At times like this, one should really feel alarmed, but I was too engrossed with the fact that this was TOP of Big Bang standing in front of me.

“I…”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “That wasn’t why I asked you out here,” he smiled.

“Then… Why…”

“Just wanted to have a chat with you. It’s too noisy inside and there are too many watchful eyes.”

“I see…”

“Sit down,” he said, and he motioned towards the next flight of steps behind us.

He sat down, dusted the spot beside him, and pulled me down to sit next to him.

“Do you like it in Seoul?” he asked me.

“It’s great,” I said.

“You’re leaving soon?” he asked.

“Yea… in 2 days.”

“Pity,” he said.

“Why?”

“Then we won’t have another chance to meet.”

“Yea… too bad,” I said.

His voice was so darned deep and sexy. It was as if I had him rapping to me at that moment. I could feel my body melting and gravitating towards him when he spoke in that husky tone.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“25,” I replied.

“Wow…” he said. “You don’t look 25.”

“You thought I was your age?” I asked.

“Not really,” he laughed softly. “I thought perhaps you were a year or two older. Not 3 to 4 years older.”

“I get that a lot,” I smiled.

I could see his face in the dim light. When he smiled, he looked a little endearing in this setting. Most of the time, I only imagined him as the cold but sexy guy in all those music videos.

“So have you done everything you wanted to do in Seoul? Seen all the places you wanted to see?” he asked.

“Almost,” I said.

“What else is on your list?”

“Hmm…” I thought for awhile. “A summer fling?” I laughed.

Note: The alcohol is making me brave. I’m not always this casual with strangers.

“Really?” he asked.

“Haha…” I laughed, and he laughed.

It was the kind of laugh where it just sounded like he was sneezing.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” he asked me; a look of amusement on his face.

I heard the door slam at that moment, and practically jumped into his arms in fright. He was quick too, and wrapped both arms around me as we sat there, trying to remain silent and motionless. We peeked and saw that it was someone walking out to answer his phone.

We watched the guy walked out to the street, and after that, we just stayed in each other’s arms.

“Found your fling?” he whispered in my ear after a few minutes.

It felt like his voice was caressing my soul.

“I think so…” I whispered back as I tilted my head up to face him.

You’d think we were filming an MV, but it really happened just like that. As soon as our lips were within centimeters of each others’, he leaned down, and kissed me.

It was like a buzz of electricity rushing from my spine, up my head and down to my toes. He pulled away for a moment, and looked at me questioningly. I moved to kiss him lightly on the lips, and we started kissing really passionately this time.

He ran his hands up and down my back as he held me tightly against his chest. As the kiss continued, he leaned back and pulled me on top of him. My legs straddled his waist and my knees were resting on the steps. I could hear the both of us breathing raggedly as we continued kissing. I slipped my hands under his jacket and ran them, slowly, down his chest as we kissed. His body was lean and muscular as I had expected. At some point, he grabbed both my wrists to stop me, so I decided to wrap my arms around his waist instead.

Towards the end, we were slowly cooling off and we were teasing each other, kissing, pulling back a little, kissing again, and pulling back, until finally he couldn’t take it, and pulled me down so that I couldn’t pull away from him.

“Seung Hyun-ah!” we heard someone call out all of a sudden, and we stopped.

We’d been so engrossed that we didn’t hear the door this time. We held very still; I was still on top of him, and we were both panting softly.

“Seung Hyun-ah,” the voice called out again. “We’re leaving soon. Come in once you’re done.”

We heard footsteps fading, the blare of the music as the door opened, and muffled thumping once again, when the door closed.

“You do this often,” I asked him.

“Not really,” he replied.

“Doesn’t look like it,” I smiled.

“It’s your choice to believe or not,” he replied.

“Would you prefer it if I believed you?” I asked.

“It’s your choice,” he shrugged, and helped me up onto my feet.

“Thanks,” I said, as we both stood up and dusted our pants.

“For what?” he asked as he walked towards the edge of the landing.

“For the fling,” I smiled.

“My pleasure,” he smiled back. “I need to go now.”

“Okay…” I said.

He took a step back, and I reached out to grab his sleeve.

“TOP?”

“Yes?” he said, as he turned to face me.

“Can I have one more?” I smiled. “Majimak insa,” I attempted to joke.

He laughed softly, and then pulled me into his arms.

“Last one,” he said, and I could feel him giving his all into this kiss.

I held him as tightly as I could as we shared that last kiss. At the end of the kiss, his lips lingered against me, as if he too didn’t want to let go.

“Bye,” I whispered.

“Bye,” he whispered back, and released me.

I watched from the top of the stairs as he jogged down, and straightened his jacket as he approached the door. He turned back for a moment when he got to the door, and looked towards the dark landing where I still stood. He put his index and middle finger to his lips, kissed it and pointed towards me, then he went inside.

I stood there, awestruck by what had just happened to me. I was dazed for awhile, even after freshening up at the ladies before I went back to rejoin my group. Big Bang had left by the time I got to my table.

“Where were you?” Sara asked. “Big Bang left.”

“Really?” I said, innocently.

“They waved at us as they were leaving,” she said.

“Aww… I missed that?” I said, trying to sound disappointed.

“Well,” Sara smiled. “At least we got their photos and autographs.”

“Yea,” I smiled back. “Thanks for bringing me here tonight. It was a dream come true.”

“No problem,” she said. “As long as you had a good time.”

“I did,” I replied. “It was a TOP night,” I said, and the both of us laughed at my pun.

I never told Sara about my close encounter with TOP. I figured that if I told anyone, no one would believe me in the first place. Would you?

Cupid's Foray

2008-08-09T10:23:00.006+08:00

I guess none would be surprised when I reveal once again that this is another one of those stories inspired by yet another crazy conversation on MSN. It's not exactly what was discussed, but those involved would know what it's all about. Those who weren't involved will get a delightful read out of this. Hehe! ^_^ Enjoy!

Starring (in order of appearance)
Kyu Jong (SS501)
Mandy aka Mandu
Xing
Hyun Joong (SS501)
Jung Min aka Horse (SS501)
Sierra

It all began when Cupid misplaced an arrow. That stray arrow, that trouble making arrow… you would wonder the extent of mayhem it caused…

Kyu Joong was walking the down a path in the park when he saw something sparkling on the ground.

“Mwoya…” he said to himself, and bent down to study the glittering object.

It was an arrow, with a heart attached to it, no less.

‘Wow…’ he thought to himself. ‘Wouldn’t Sierra like this?’

Sierra’s a nuna in his high school, whom he had a crush on. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to fall in love with him… so in love with him.

Kyu Joong turned the arrow around in his hand, and on the long stem of the arrow, these words were inscribed…

Plant this onto a lover’s butt and you will surely win her heart.

‘Omigod!!! I so need this!’ Kyu Joong thought gleefully.

Sierra’s going to love him forever once he sticks this onto her butt.

Kyu Joong tucked the arrow firmly under his arm (in his armpits, if you want to know the exact details), then off he ran to meet the love of his life.

“Uh-oh…” Cupid murmured as he watched Kyu Joong leave the park. “I hope that’s not going to cause any trouble.”

As Kyu Joong ran all the way towards Sierra’s home, you may have guessed, tragedy struck. On his way to Sierra’s house, the very clumsy Kyu Joong ran smack into a neighbor. Her name’s Mandy, but most people called her Mandu. And I supposed Fate wanted to play a trick on Kyu Joong, and the arrow miraculously got planted onto Mandy’s butt.

“What the!” Mandy exclaimed. “That hurts!” she complained, and pulled the arrow out of her right butt cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” Kyu Joong said, and tried to help her up.

“Hmm?” Mandy mumbled, and as soon as she turned to face Kyu Joong, the spell was casted.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

“Oppa!” she squealed, and hugged him.

“Erm… miss… I don’t know you,” he said as he tried to squirm out of her grasp.

“Oppa! I love you!” she squealed again, and this time, she tried to kiss him.

“Help!” Kyu Joong shouted.

He had the palm of one hand firmly covering Mandy’s face, trying to keep her lips away from his face, and the other hand trying to keep her body away from his.

“Help!” Kyu Joong screamed, but passersby only watched with interest and did not try to assist him.

“Hey… isn’t that Kyu Joong from school?” Xing tugged at her boyfriend, Hyun Joong’s sleeve.

“I think so,” Hyun Joong replied.

“Shall we help him? He seems traumatized,” Xing said.

“Nah… it’s probably some new couple game… role playing maybe,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Xing asked, just to be sure, since she really did think that Kyu Joong looked petrified.

“I am… now let’s go, or we’ll be late for the movie.”

Kyu Joong watched desperately as Xing and Hyun Joong left the street.

“Come on, oppa… just one little kiss,” Mandy said.

‘Why won’t anyone help me?’ he sobbed silently.

“Help…” he wailed one last time, and this time, his call was answered.

A faint gallop could be heard, and onto the street came Jung Min. No, he’s not a centaur. He just happened to be on a horse. Jung Min loved horses and shared their love for carrots. So it was not surprising that he was nicknamed Horse in school.

‘Hmm… isn’t that Kyu Joong from school, and that hot junior, Mandu?’ Jung Min thought.

“Neigh...” Jung Min called out to Kyu Joong, and covered his mouth quickly.

‘Oops…’ he thought. ‘Almost forgot that humans don’t speak the horses’ language.’

“Help me, Horse!” Kyu Joong flailed his free arm at Jung Min.

“I’m coming,” he replied as he dismounted off his horse.

“Hurry!” he gasped, as Mandy is nearing her target… his lips.

Just as if Fate had decided he’d had enough fun with Kyu Joong, he switched his attention to Jung Min. The moment Jung Min managed to tear Mandy off Kyu Joong, he found himself at the receiving end of her kiss. She was so sure that her pucker was near the mark, that she’d closed her eyes in anticipation. With a loud smacking sound… she’d planted her lips on Jung Min’s lips instead of Kyu Joong’s.

Mandy opened her eyes and right in front of her, stood Jung Min.

“Mandu…” his voice quivered. “You’re so gorgeous.”

“What?” Mandy exclaimed, the spell was broken since she’d not kissed the person who planted the arrow in her butt.

Jung Min had always had a crush on Mandy and that kiss had just strengthened his resolve to declare his undying affections for her.

“Come away with me, Princess Mandu… we’ll have carrots and ride all day long,” he said, proposing on one knee.

“Yuck! No! Get away from me, you horsey nut!” she yelled at him.

“Please…” he said, grasping onto her hand.

“No!” she said, pulling her hand out of his.

“Please…”

“No!”

“Please…”

“No! I’d rather ride with a carrot than with you!”

“Then I’ll be that carrot… please?”

“Noo!!!”

Kyu Joong picked up that arrow, and inched away from the fight scene as quietly as he could. He sprinted the few steps up to Sierra’s door, and rang the bell.

“Who is it?” Sierra answered from inside the house.

“It’s me, nuna,” Kyu Joong called out.

“Hi!” she said, as she opened the door. “What brings you here?”

“Erm… I…” he stammered.

‘I’ve got to find a way to get that arrow onto her butt…” he thought.

“Well?” she asked, tapping her feet impatiently.

“Is that a spider?” he said suddenly, pointing behind her

Sierra whirled around, screaming at the spider she could not see, and Kyu Joong seized the opportunity to plant the arrow on her tush.

“Oww!” she shouted at the sharp prick, but the moment she pulled the arrow out, she had already forgotten her pain.

“Nuna?”

“Ooh, Kyu Joong… you look so cute today,” she smiled and threw her arms around him.

“You’re so beautiful, nuna,” he replied, gently taking the arrow out of her hands.

“I am?” she giggled.

“Of course you are,” he smiled as he tossed the arrow away, and they share a long kiss, making the spell unbreakable.

Meanwhile… just a few feet away…

“Please, Mandu…”

“No!”

“I can be a carrot…”

“No!”

“Oww!” Jung Min exclaimed as the discarded arrow hit his head.

He picked it up and read the inscription.

Plant this onto a lover’s butt and you will surely win her heart.

He looked up again, and spotted Mandy walking away huffily.

‘It’s now or never,’ he thought as he aimed the arrow at Mandy’s butt.

He lunged forward, releasing the arrow, and sure enough, it hit the bull’s-eye.

“Oww!” Mandy exclaimed. “Not again?” she grumbled as she pulled it out.

“Mandu…” Jung Min sang, and the moment she turned around… she was lost to the horse.

“Neigh…” she replied, and batted her eyelashes.

“I’ve got some carrots for you,” Jung Min winked.

“Why Horsie dear… you know I love them carrots,” she replied, and cantered towards him.

-The End-

Out Of All Whom I Love In This World

2007-09-17T23:38:00.000+08:00

I promised this fiction to Jia Yoong for a long time now... a fiction about her and Yoo Chun ^_^ Have fun!

Out Of All Whom I Love In This World

Yoo Chun

Yeolbyeong… yeolbyeong cheoreom… nan yeolbyeongimnida… Yes… I’m insane… I carried her on my back and trudged through the snow as fast as I could. I was wearing nothing but my jeans and t-shirt. The rest of my clothing I had wrapped around her. I was insane… I shouldn’t have brought her here.

Hang on… Hang on, Jia Yoong…

“Oppa! Look at the snow,” she said as she twirled around.

We were on a skiing holiday, a holiday she’d been asking for a long, long time. I’ve refused for so long, but realized that if I didn’t bring her here now, I’d regret not fulfilling one of her last wishes.

“Put your hood on,” I said as I reached forward and caught her to pull her hood over her head. “Your hair will get wet and you’ll catch a cold.”

“No I won’t,” she smiled but tied on her hood obediently anyway. “Let’s go,” she said, and we skied on.

I made my decision to fulfill all her desires since last week.

“She only has 3 months to live,” the doctor said.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” I asked him. “Surgery? Treatment overseas?”

“Nothing. Her illness had long progressed to the critical stage. It was already too late the day we discovered her condition.”

The doctor said 3 months… so why is this happening now.

“Oppa…” she murmured weakly. “Just leave me here.”

“Museun soriya?” I said as I continued walking.

“I wanna get off,” she said. “Put me down.”

“No,” I said.

“Park Yoo Chun. Put me down,” she repeated, this time her tone was firmer than before.

When I didn’t reply, she started struggling.

“Hajima…” I said as I tried to keep her on my back.

“I wanna get off,” she said, and I could hear desperation in her voice.

I stopped walking and let her down. I turned around and faced her as I reached my hands out to steady her. She could barely stand straight and she’s asking me to leave her here.

“What’s wrong, Jia Yoong? Are you in pain?”

“Ne… I’m gonna die oppa. Just leave me here. Put on your clothes. I don’t want you to die of cold because of me,” she said as she tried to take off the clothes I’d wrapped around her.

“Hajima, Jia Yoong,” I said as I took her hands in mine and held them; they were ice cold. “Stop it… please…” my voice quivered.

“I’m gonna die…” she exclaimed as tears started streaming down her cheeks. “Just leave me here to die.”

“No…” I said and I hugged her as tears started rolling down my face as well. “You’re not going to die. Not today. I won’t let you.”

“I’m not worth your time, oppa,” she sobbed. “Just leave me and get on with your life. I’ll be gone before you know it.”

“Do you think you mean that little to me? That I can just turn around and forget you?”

“In this circumstance, that is what you need to do. I don’t want to see you suffer because of me. I don’t want to see you waste your life pining for me. I want you to forget me,” she said.

I pulled back and stared at her wordlessly. The snow continued to fall and some drifted down to rest on her eyelashes. She always looked like an innocent angel to me, but why did this angel have to torture me now. I turned around and bent down.

“T’a,” I said.

“Mwo?”

“Get on,” I repeated myself. “I don’t want another word from you. The sooner we get out of here the better. We’re another half an hour’s walk away from the lodge. As soon as we get there, we’d be fine.”

“Oppa…” she said pleadingly.

“I brought you out here for a holiday. I didn’t bring you here to watch you die. Let’s go.”

She pursed her lips to stop herself from saying another word, then she climbed onto my back.

Carrying her on my back reminded me of how we met, for the day we met, was the day I first carried her the same way. I’d found Jia Yoong on the sidewalk near my school, she was sitting on the ground alone, looking forlorn.

“Chogiyo,” I said. “Kwaenchanhaseyo?” I asked as I peered down at her.

“I twisted my ankle,” she said as she looked up at me. “I can’t get up.”

I’d noticed her around school before. She was about 3 years my junior.

“Here… let me help you,” I said as I reached out my arm.

She held on to it and I tried to pull her up. Just as she was almost standing, she yelped in pain, and I quickly allowed her to go to back into sitting position on the ground.

“I don’t think I can stand,” she said. “Ottoke?”

I stood there for a moment and pondered, then decided that it was the only way.

“Get on my back,” I said as I squatted next to her.

“What? Are you sure?” she said.

“Not really…” I said with a serious face, and her face actually fell. “Of course I am,” I laughed. “Get on before I change my mind.”

I carried her all the way to a nearby clinic where the doctor tended to her sprain.

“Kallke,” I told her as soon as I’d helped her get registered at the counter and I turned to leave.

“Chogiyo…” she said. “Oppa.”

“Ne?” I said as I turned back to face her.

“Can you stay for a bit? I’m afraid I can’t make it to the bus stop on my own after this.”

Since I didn’t really have anything to do, and she asked so nicely, I decided to accompany her, so I sat down, and we started chatting.

Time had really flown. Jia Yoong had just graduated from high school and I was in my third year at the university. I was looking forward to spend sometime with her as she had just completed her entrance exams, and now she might not even live to finish her first year of university.

Jia Yoong

Yoo Chun oppa had always been my idol. I knew who he was the first day he carried me on his back. All the girls in school knew who he was. Park Yoo Chun was every girl’s dream boyfriend. He was nice, friendly, sensitive, romantic and still manly, with the looks and figure to go with it. His voice was famed for being deep, melodic and sexy and most of girls melted whenever he spoke.

When I started dating Yoo Chun oppa, he was a senior, already graduating and I was in my first year of high school. In the beginning, I got lots of jealous stares and names called to my face, but by the 2nd year, when Yoo Chun oppa had already gone to university, the hate sort of died down, and we were left to continue our relationship in peace.

Little by little, Yoo Chun oppa had less and less time for me because he was so busy with his assignments and attending classes. There were times I didn’t see him for weeks but I never complained. Whenever we managed to meet, I would be sure I was smiling because I didn’t want to add to his stress.

I’d known I was ill for sometimes, but I didn’t see a doctor because I didn’t want Yoo Chun oppa to find out about it. I was hiding it so well until I fainted after my last paper for the university entrance exams. I had cancer, and it was the last stage, the most critical. Nothing could save me now.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he said, his voice shaking, after the doctor had told us there was nothing we could do.

“I didn’t want you to worry, and I didn’t have the money for the treatment anyway,” I said.

“I have the money,” he said angrily. “Why didn’t you just come to me?”

“I’m sorry,” I cried. “Mianhae…”

“Pabo!” he shouted at me, and he hugged me. “Why are you apologizing? You’re the one who’s dying now. I should’ve taken better care of you.”

“I’m not your responsibility, oppa. Don’t feel bad,” I said as a single tear rolled down my cheek.

“Of course you’re my responsibility,” he said. “I love you… you’re my girl. That makes you my responsibility,” he added, and he kissed me.

Even when I sensed that I was really ill, I knew I couldn’t tell him, because that would be his reaction. He would feel that it was his responsibility to care for me, and with an illness like mine, it would dominate his life and possibly affect his future. I don’t want him to lose his future when mine is already unsalvageable.

I lay my head on his back now, and I hugged him tightly, willing my body to keep his warm as he tried to deliver us from the cold. He’d been so stubborn when I told him that I wanted to be left out here, in the woods, in the snow. I would rather freeze to death than die of the pain caused by my illness, but he wouldn’t have it.

“You have 3 more months,” he said. “I want to make every single day so memorable that you would remember them even in your next life.”

I didn’t want to disappoint him, and for all the love he’d given me, if staying alive until the day I’m meant to die would make him happy, I would do it… no matter how great the pain.

Yoo Chun

We finally reached the lodge. Good thing I’d left the fire burning. I could feel myself melting like an ice cube as soon as I walked into the living room. I laid Jia Yoong down gently on the couch and turned to look at her. She was pale, and looked like her blood had been drained out of her.

“Jia Yoong, kwaench’ana?” I asked her as I touched her face.

“I feel hot,” she said, and that’s when I realized she was still wearing like 6 layers of clothes.

I quickly took off the jackets I’ve wrapped around her, and finally took off her own jackets until she was wearing just her t-shirt and a jumper.

“Oppa,” she murmured.

“Ne,” I said as I sat beside her and pulled her close so that she could lay her head on my lap and I pulled her legs onto the couch and started arranging the blanket to cover them.

“I feel so tired,” she said; her eyes kept fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.

“Take a nap then,” I said as I combed her hair back gently with my fingers, and tucked the stray strands behind her ears.

I’ve always loved her long hair. She had smooth, long and black hair, and I’d made her promise never to dye it. It made her look pure and innocent, the kind of beauty she was meant to be. I watched her close her eyes and fall asleep, her chest heaving from her gentle breathing. What am I going to do when she leaves for good? I’ve not forgiven myself for neglecting her. I should’ve spent more time with her, but I got so caught up with my university life.

Mianhae, Jia Yoong. It’s all oppa’s fault. I should’ve taken care of you, the way you deserved to be taken care of.

I decided to take a shower while she slept. I stood under the shower for a long time, trying to numb whatever I was feeling inside with the strong jets of hot water, but I gave up after awhile, since it looked like it had no intent on going away. I put on fresh clothes and went to the kitchen to make Jia Yoong and me a hot drink each. After I’d set the cups on the coffee table by the couch, I sat beside her and shook her gently.

“Jia Yoong,” I called out softly, she didn’t stir. “Jia Yoong,” I called out again, and I leant down to kiss her.

That’s when I realized, she wasn’t breathing. I felt my brain threatening to shut down.

“Jia Yoong,” I called out louder this time. “Wake up!”

I tried to check for her pulse; there was none. I lay my head on her chest to listen to her heartbeat; it wasn’t beating. I dug through her bag on the table to get her little mirror out and I put it near the nostrils; no condensation. This can’t be happening; the doctor said she had 3 months. He lied!

The ambulance came within 20 minutes of my phone call. Twenty of the longest minutes of my life. The paramedics came in and started checking Jia Yoong.

“I’m sorry, but she’s dead,” the paramedic informed me a few minutes later.

“Dead?” I echoed his words. “But the doctor said she had 3 more months.”

“Was she ill?” he asked me.

“Yes,” I said. “Cancer… the final stage.”

“Then it’s expected. I’m very sorry, but her organs must’ve failed.”

“But she was alright this morning,” I said.

“She must’ve been holding in the pain,” he said. “Brave girl.”

Now that he said it, I remembered how pale she’d been for the past few days. She was probably in pain, but didn’t say a word. Jia Yoong, how could you do this to me?

“Oppa…” she’d said yesterday while we were taking a walk in the woods. “I want to be buried here.”

“Yah… can we not talk about that now?”

“Chintcha…” she said. “I’m going to die anyway, so can you promise me you’ll bury me here?”

We’d stopped walking and she was clasping my hand, looking at me pleadingly. I couldn’t say no.

“Araso…” I said.

“Yaksok?” she said as she held out her pinkie.

“Yaksok,” I said, as I hooked her pinkie with mine.

It's Jia Yoong’s funeral today, and all our friends and family were here in the woods, where she’d wanted to be buried, to say goodbye. Before the priest read the prayers, I read a poem that Jia Yoong had once written. It was very meaningful to me, and I felt that it would be too, for all who was present.

Out of all whom I love in this world,
I love you most
For out of all
whom I love in this world,
You know me best
But without all whom I love
in this world
You and I would still be less than complete
For it’s their
blessings for us
That also give our love meaning.

Jia Yoong… out of all whom I love in this world, you are the one who taught me the most. You taught me to be crazy and seize the moments in life, you taught me fear and that there was none that cannot be overcome, you taught me love and how it could enrich my life, most of all you taught me more about life and how beautiful and precious it was, despite its fleetingness. Jia Yoong… out of all whom I love in this world, you are the one I can never forget.

Sugar Rae

2007-08-17T22:56:00.000+08:00

I've yet to write a long fic about our baby, Chang Min... well he's a man now, so it's time he got his own story... so here it is...

Starring
Chang Min (TVXQ) as Max Shim Chang Min
Jeon Ji Ae (Goong) as Genevieve Sung Rae Ru
Yamashita Tomohisa (Nobuta o Produce) as Yumegashi Akira

Credits to Ying Ling for helping me proof read!

Credits to LunarGaze for the poster!

Chang Min… that’s what we called him. He was one of us; awkward, studious teens, until he found fame. His name was now Max. Max was the name he was christened with when he joined the in-crowd. Since he joined them, he never turned back. When we walked past in the hallways, he wouldn’t meet our gaze, and even when I sat beside him on the bus, he would keep looking out of the window or pretend to be asleep, just so he wouldn’t have to speak to me.

He no longer spoke to me or called me. He no longer called me ‘Sugar Rae’, his nickname for me back when we studied together almost everyday. By the way, my name is Rae Ru, Sung Rae Ru.
A year ago, we were freshmen in high school. Chang Min and I transferred into Pil Song High from different provinces. We stood side by side in front of the class on our first day, and that was the first thing we had in common.

“Class, this is Shim Chang Min and Sung Rae Ru,” the homeroom teacher announced. “Rae Ru,” he said as he scratched his head. “Is that Chinese?”

“Nae,” I said. “My father is of Chinese descent,” I explained. “Sung Rae Ru-imnida. Pangapseumnida,” I said and I bowed to the class.

“Shim Chang Min-imnida,” Chang Min said as he bowed. “Please feed me well,” he added, and the class burst into laughter.

As he straightened up, I could see the twinkle in his eyes, he was smiling, and when he smiled, his eyes became uneven; his right eye becomes smaller than the left one. With him around, I guessed that there wouldn’t be a dull moment.

“Rae Ru,” Min Ju tapped me on my arm with her pen. “Have you found the answer to 8.1?”

“Huh?” I mumbled, coming out of my stupor caused by excessive reminiscing.

“8.1… are you doing your sums or are you day dreaming?” Min Ju sighed.

“Oh… mianhae,” I smiled sheepishly. “I’ll do it now.”

In a few minutes of furiously scribbling the calculations, I found the answer.

“3.843,” I proclaimed proudly.

“Ya… how did you do that?” she said as she grabbed my notepad away from me and studied the calculations I’d just made.

In the past, Chang Min was the one who came up with the answers. I could never beat him. He was still at top of the class. I wonder when he actually found the time to study, with all the time he spent going to the noraebang, the movies, the amusement park and all those activities he had with his new crew.

We’re still in the same class, but he sat in the back now, where all the cool kids sat, while I sat in the middle with Min Ju. We were in-between-ers; not exactly the teachers’ pets, but still good students. You could also call us the faces in the crowd, the people who just make the room look like it was filled, and we played no important role. I was content to remain a ‘filler’… a face in the crowd… but fate had it that I wouldn’t remain unknown until I graduated.

In Chang Min’s crew, there weren’t just guys, there were girls. The guys were pretty alright, but the girls, they were possessive. They were possessive of their status, and possessive of the guys in Inki. The crew called themselves Inki, which meant popular, and it did suit them, no matter how big-headed it seemed. The girl who lead Inki was Na Hae Mu. Not a very glamorous name when you’re the leader of the pop crowd, so she called herself Ashley, which suited her. She always reminded me a little of Song Hye Kyo and Jessica Alba put together.

Ever since Han Tae Ik, the previous leader of Inki graduated, Chang Min, now known as Max, was the unofficial leader of Inki. There was never a public announcement, but people started to regard him as such, and since there were no objections from within Inki, it meant that he was the leader for real. Ashley was rumored to be his girlfriend since she was the girl leader, but no one had ever seen them holding hands or doing couple stuff.

No ‘common’ girl dated a guy in Inki, and same went for the girls in Inki. They either remained single, or dated each other within the group. If there was a ‘commoner’ someone wanted to date, he or she would have to first be converted into a member of Inki, and it was no simple process. The person would have to go through a series of tests and inquisitions and finally, if successful, would have to undergo a makeover of their image and attitude so that they fit in.

I remembered when Chang Min first joined us. He was adorable, and sweet, and no one could deny that he was good looking, despite being awkwardly tall, but as the year progress, the awkwardness went away, and Chang Min became one of the school’s most sought after heartthrobs. That was when Han Tae Ik recruited Chang Min into Inki.

“Sugar Rae…” Chang Min sang into the phone when he called me that fateful day. It was almost the end of our first year at Pil Song High. “Guess what?” he said.

“What?” I laughed when I heard his voice. The way he’d croon his nickname for me, it always made me smile.

“I’ve been asked to join Inki,” he said excitedly.

“What?” I exclaimed.

“You just said that,” he laughed.

“I know…” I rolled my eyes. “Why would they ask you to join Inki?”

“He said that I was meant to be part of their crew,” Chang Min said.

“You said ‘No.’, right? You know what would happen if you say ‘Yes.’, don’t you?”

“I haven’t given him an answer, and what’s wrong with being part of Inki?”

“Chang Min!!! They’re nothing but spoilt, lazy brats!” I exclaimed.

“You don’t even know them,” he said.

“And you do?”

“Tae Ik seems nice,” he said.

“That’s cos he wants you to be one of them. You’re not a brat, you don’t belong with them.”

“Then who do I belong with?” he asked me.

“With us,” I said. “The studious, nerdy bunch.”

“What if I don’t want to be studious and nerdy for life? I wanna have some fun,” he said.

“They have fun all the time, and they never study. Do you want to ruin your future just for a place with the in-crowd?” I asked him.

“I’ll still study,” he said. “I’d never neglect that.”

“You wouldn’t have time,” I said.

“I’ll make time,” he insisted. “Why are you being so unsupportive?”

“I just don’t want to see your future go down the tubes,” I said.

“Or are you just jealous you’ve not been invited?” he said in a sing-song voice.

“What?”

“You heard me…” he continued in that annoying tone.

“You’re crazy Chang Min. Why would I be jealous that you want to join a group of brats?”

“Come on… admit it…” he laughed, and I started to get more annoyed.

“Quit it, Chang Min,” I said.

“Don’t be upset, Sugar Rae. I’ll get you in once I’m part of the crew.”

“I don’t want to be part of the crew.”

“I know you do, you just don’t wanna admit it,” he laughed.

That last line did it for me. Without a word, I hung up on him, and that was the last time we spoke.

“So are we going ahead with the plan?” Ashley asked me.

“Can we not do this?” I said. “Can’t we just graduate peacefully from high school?”

“We have to… it’s tradition!” she insisted.

Every year, the graduating senior leader in Inki has to pick a cause. No… it’s not to donate to AIDS victims or visit the orphanage. Every year, they’d pick a student to convert him or her into someone worthy of being a member of Inki. It didn’t matter which year the person would be from, but the fun was to take what Inki defined as a ‘lost cause to all’ and give the person a full makeover, just as they’d done for me. Whether the process was cruel or kind, it depended on the leader of that year, and this year, it was Ashley and I.

I didn’t know until I became a full-fledged member that I was Tae Ik’s cause. But I was far from lost. He picked me not because I looked like a ‘lost cause’, but because if he thought that if he didn’t, I would eventually be one.

“You have potential to be popular,” he told me. I was about to tell him that I was already popular but he beat me to it. “You’re already popular, but not in the way Inki is. You’re loved by all, but are you revered? A member of Inki would be revered, and the position I have in store for you would make you the king of the school.”

At that point in my life, being a freshman and all, I was swayed by Tae Ik’s grand dreams of me ruling the in-crowd in school, but as time went by, I began to realize that unless you lived for this kind of life, it wasn’t going to be an easy one to lead. The first weeks I spent with Inki, I had fun. We roamed the streets and enjoyed ourselves till late at night. We never went home before 10pm. By the 2nd week, I started to realize what I had gotten myself into. My parents started lecturing me on the hours I spent outside, my weekly assessment results started to slide, and I was falling asleep in class. I felt like I couldn’t keep up, but I couldn’t quit now. To quit would mean that Rae Ru was right, and I would become an outcast because Inki would tell the entire school that they kicked me out, and not the other way round. I would become a social outcast.

Rae Ru… I see her every day in class, but I’ve never really thought about her until today. In the beginning, I couldn’t get used to not being with her each day. We were both new students who arrived in Pil Song High on the same day in our freshman year. We’d instantly bonded and spent most of our times together. It pained me sometimes, when I thought of how we parted. We just stopped talking; neither of us wanted to initiate a conversation after that petty fight we had about me joining Inki. Eventually, we just ignored each other and cut each other out of our lives.

I spend each day after school with Inki, but I was adamant about returning home by dinner time on weekdays, on weekends, I’d spend all my time hanging out with them. I started creating my own weekday schedule so that I could cope with Inki and schoolwork after the 3rd week.

“My mother’s on my case,” I would say. “She threatened to send me off to boarding school if I don’t get home on time.”

When I got home, I would do everything I always do; eat dinner with my family, do my schoolwork, study… and in the beginning, the only thing missing was the calls I made every night to Rae Ru.

Even before I’d joined Inki, I’d notice that Rae Ru wasn’t the ordinary nerd. Rae Ru was tall, slim and pretty. It was her choice of social life that kept her away from the in-crowd, away from Inki. She didn’t dress up like the girls in Inki did. She wore the school uniform in exactly the way the rules demanded; skirt reaching her knees, tie knotted neatly, shirt tucked in, and blazer loosely fitting. The girls in Inki had skirts that showed off their views down south whenever they bent down, shirts untucked, ties hanging loose around their necks, and their blazers were usually short and tight. You could say they were dressed like most of the popular girls you see in high school dramas on television.

Rae Ru wasn’t fashionable, but she wasn’t shabby either. Again, it’s her choice to be the way she is. She could’ve easily made the in-crowd like I did, but she held back. After joining Inki, I understood why she held back. Being popular wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It was an endless effort of looking good, maintaining a reputation and a lot of insecurities.

We’re having a meeting today to decide on the ‘lost cause’ of the year. I’ve not seen the list yet and I did not contribute a single name to it.

“Here’s the list,” Ashley said as she tossed it on the table.

Tanya, a sophomore, picked it up and started reading it.

“Cha So Hyeon, Ryu Cho Jin, Tak Yi Bong, Lim Jang Rim, Sung Rae Ru, Han Hyuk Jae…”

Did I hear Rae Ru’s name?

“Sung Rae Ru?” I said, cutting Tanya off.

“Yep… Sung Rae Ru.”

“Not her,” I immediately said.

“Why not, Max?” Gerald asked me.

Note that they all have English names, just as mine is Max now, because members of Inki have to have new names.

“She’s not really a lost cause,” I said, which was the truth, but in actual fact, I didn’t want her dragged into this.

As soon as I said it, the girls shrieked with laughter.

“Not really a lost cause?” Mischa laughed hysterically. “Have you seen the way she dresses?”

“The way she walks,” Tanya piped in.

“I identified her as a lost cause,” Ashley said. “You have a problem with that?”

“I just think she is not a worthy cause,” I said. “And she’s a senior,” I pointed out. “Shouldn’t it be someone who could benefit from this in the long run?”

I looked around and the guys shrugged. They didn’t have an opinion. You could say that this year, the girls in Inki were more opinionated, so us guys mostly sat back and allowed them to run the show, and because we’ve been sitting back for almost a year, it’s unlikely that they are going to listen to us now.

“I think she would be a marvelous cause and it would do her good to end her school year with a better image,” Ashley said. “And if you won’t take her, I will.”

“Someone else, Ashley,” I said.

“I want Rae Ru,” she said firmly. “Is this because you two used to be buddies?”

“I cut my ties with her the moment I joined Inki,” I said, and this was true, except that I wish I hadn’t.

“Then you won’t have a problem helping me inform her?” Ashley looked at me, smirking, daring me to say ‘No.’ with that smirk of hers.

I knew that Ashley was challenging me. People outside of Inki thought that we were a couple, but we were actually just partners in leading Inki. I’d insisted that I didn’t want to lead Inki, but somehow, I ended up being the leader, despite there having been no announcement that I was. If I didn’t do this now, the other members would start to doubt my loyalty to Inki. So here I was, a reluctant leader, about to incur more hatred from my old friend than she already had for me.

“No problem,” I replied, and I got up and left the room without a second glance.

I walked into the school gates just in time before the bell rang.

“Ppalli! Get into your classroom!” the discipline master yelled at those of us who were slowly ambling towards the school building.

I bowed at him as I sprinted past. By the time I started up the first stairs, the hallways were almost empty, and when I reached the landing, I saw a tall figure standing there, blocking my path.

“Hey there, Sugar Rae,” he said, in that familiar tone he used more than a year ago.

“Chang Min,” I squinted at him.

The sun was shining through the window on the landing and sort of blinding me.

“I’ve not heard anyone call me Chang Min in school for almost a year,” he chuckled.

Okay… why am I even speaking to him?

I walked up that last step I’d paused on and tried to push past him.

“We need to talk,” he said as he continued to stand in my way.

“I have nothing to say to you,” I said. “I need to get to class.”

“Come with me,” he said as he started to drag me up the stairs by my hand.

“Chang Min,” I protested.

“That sounds so nice,” he sighed melodramatically. “Say my name again,” he added.

“Michoso…” I giggled at his silly remark.

I didn’t hate him. It just felt unfamiliar to speak to him again, to go somewhere with him, to actually have skin contact with him. For the past year, it felt as if he was a mirage that sat at the back of the classroom, and now he was real again. He dragged me into an empty lesson room and closed the door.

“What’s up, Chang Min?” I said as soon as he turned to face me.

“You’ve been selected,” he said simply.

“For? A lottery?”

“Sort of…” he said. He was starting to sound nervous, I wonder why.

“I’m late for class, spit it out,” I said, with a hint of frustration in my voice.

“Inki has chosen you to join them,” he said.

“What?” I exclaimed. What in the world….

“Every year we pick someone who we think should be improved and added to Inki, and this year, they’ve picked you,” he explained.

“What? And you think I need improving? I’m not your crew’s charity case, Shim Chang Min,” I said as I poked his chest with my finger.

He was tall, 187cm to be exact, but I wasn’t exactly short. Even if I was shorter, I was gonna hold my own against him. What utter nonsense!

“I tried to override them, but the girls were adamant that it’d be you,” he sighed.

“This is ridiculous. You guys can’t make me.”

“I don’t want to imagine what they’d do if you refused, and I’m gonna be in a tight spot if you refuse,” he sighed.

“I’m not doing it!” I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Come on, Sugar Rae,” he pleaded.

I remember this face all too well. Whenever he wanted something from me, this was the look he’d give me.

“No, Chang Min,” I said firmly. “Don’t give me that face. It doesn’t work anymore.”

He straightened his face and sighed in frustration as he combed back his hair with one hand. He actually looked kinda hot doing that.

“What’s it gonna take?” he asked me.

“Huh?”

“What do I need to do to get you to accept this?”

“Nothing… because I want no part of it,” I said.

“Sugar Rae… you have to. I don’t want the girls to hurt you. Just join us, please?” he said.

“Aren’t you the leader of Inki, can’t you stop them?”

“I told you I tried to override Ashley’s decision, but she wouldn’t budge.”

“Isn’t she like your girlfriend? Doesn’t she listen to you?”

“Whoever told you she was my girlfriend?” he scoffed.

“The whole school knows about the both of you.”

“Ashley Na isn’t your girlfriend?”

“No… I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Now why do I feel relieved to hear that? I looked at him and he looked back with pleading eyes. Was he that desperate to keep his position in Inki that he had to drag me into this?

“Please, Sugar Rae. If not for yourself, please do it for me? For old times’ sake?” he said.

I sighed loudly. This was my last year anyway, and after this, I might never see Chang Min again. It wouldn’t hurt to help him out a little.

“Fine…” I conceded, and Chang Min hugged me.

“Thanks Sugar Rae,” he said as he pulled away. “You won’t regret it.”

And I really hope I don’t.

Today’s my first meeting with Inki. I stood nervously outside the empty classroom they usually occupied for their meetings, waiting to be called in. After about 15 minutes, I was ready to walk off, then Chang Min popped his head out at the door.

“They’re ready for you,” he said and he pulled me in by my hand.

I walked in and saw the whole group sitting in a cluster on the desks and chairs at one corner of the classroom.

“Annyeong,” I said, and bobbed my head a little.

“Sung Rae Ru,” Ashley was the first to speak. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“Not really,” I said.

“Max,” she said as she shot him a look. “You didn’t tell her?”

“I did, Ashley. She just isn’t sure what you're gonna do to her,” Chang Min said in a voice filled with boredom and yet, exasperation.

“Fine… you are our lost cause of the year,” Ashley spat out.

“Lost cause?” I echoed her.

“Yes… we’ve decided that out of everyone in the entire school, you need a makeover the most.”

“So what happens after the makeover?” I ask her. “Am I free of Inki after that?”

“You don’t know anything do you?” Tanya, Ashley’s sidekick piped in.

“Cut her some slack Tanya,” Akira, the very cool exchange student from Japan, came to my defense and to top it off, he gave me his dazzling smile.

Akira was the only member of Inki who didn’t required a name makeover since everyone thought his Japanese name, Yumegashi Akira, was cool enough.

“You’re a member of Inki the moment you step into this room today. You’re fortunate that we have chosen you because you don’t need to go through the tests and inquisitions,” Ashley explained.

“And after I graduate?” I ask her.

“You’re free to go, but you will always be seen as a member of Inki,” she said.

“Good,” I replied. “Cos that’s far enough for me.”

“Whatever,” Ashley said, waving her hand dismissively. “Let’s get to work,” she added as she stood up and smoothed down her mini-skirt.

“Huh?” I said.

“Your makeover starts now,” she said as she walked past me and dragged me along with her.

“Yah!” I exclaimed in protest and looked back at Chang Min pleadingly, but all he could do was shrug.

Was this really what became of my friend? He joined the coolest crowd in school only to end up a wimp of a leader?

I was dragged to a nearby tailor where the girls pulled off my jacket and made me change into a pair of sweatpants.

“What are you doing?” I asked them.

“We can’t have you going to school in that uniform now that you’re one of us,” Mischa, sidekick No.2 said.

“What’s wrong with my uniform?”

“The skirt is too long, and the jacket is too big. Haven’t you noticed that ours are tight and short?” Tanya said.

While the girls drilled all these supposedly vital info into my head, the guys hung out outside the shop. Some of them, Gerald and Akira, were smoking, while the others, Chang Min and Evan were just hanging around, scuffing their shoes on the sidewalk as they listened to their MP3 players.

If you think that I was watching Chang Min, you’re wrong. I was watching Akira the whole time. I knew he existed in school all along, but now that I knew him personally, well… sort of, I’m beginning to find him more intriguing. I was never one of those girls who were into bad boys, but Akira wasn’t all bad. It’s just his image that screamed ‘bad’, but in person, he was really nice, and it didn’t hurt that he reminded me of another Akira… the Akira played by Yamashita Tomohisa, better known as Yamapi, in Nobuta o Produce.

Before the first week ended, I had a new wardrobe, new hair, new face, and I was supposed to have a new attitude to go with it.

“Do you really like me better now?” I asked Chang Min.

“I like you no matter how you look,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Was I supposed to be happy that he said that? If I were likeable in the first place, why bother to change me?

One of the greatest trials brought about by my admission to Inki was explaining it to Min Ju.

“I guess you won’t be hanging out with me now that you’re with Inki?” she said.

“I just can’t hang out with you after school, but we’ll still be together in class,” I said.

“It’s not the same,” she sighed, “but I understand. Who would give up the chance to be a part of Inki?”

“It’s not like that. I’m doing it for Chang Min,” I explained.

“You don’t have to explain, Rae Ru,” she said. “If you didn’t accept, they’d ruin your social life, and you won’t want that on your final year. Kwaench’ana, Rae Ru. I understand how difficult it is for you.”

“Min Ju-yah,” I said, as I started to tear a little, “komawo.” And I hugged her.

“Pabo…” she smiled. “What are friends for?”

From that day, I was the same Rae Ru in class, but the moment I stepped out of it, I was now Genevieve, or Gen, for short. Genevieve was a variant of the name, Guinevere, the queen of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. Chang Min had found the name while flipping through a book of mythologies.

Genevieve… am I going to like the new me?

I named her ‘Genevieve’. I named Rae Ru ‘Genevieve’ because I thought it was a beautiful name; the name of the queen consort to a legendary king. The original name had been ‘Guinevere’, but I chose the French variant since it sounded more sophisticated, which was the exact image I had of Rae Ru; sophistication. For the next few months, I watched them transform Rae Ru into someone I could barely recognize.

They made her cut her long, straight hair. She now had a shoulder length, layered look, as opposed to her previous traditional, straight, school girl hairstyle. They got rid of her glasses, and she now wore soft brown colored contacts. She looked like one of them now, or rather, one of us; the in-crowd. No one would believe them if she’d told them she wasn’t one of us up till recently. She fitted in easily, as I knew she would have.

These days, I ask myself… did I like the old Rae Ru, or do I like the new Gen. Sugar Rae… I used to call her that, and I still call her that. I decided to call her that on a whim… since the ‘Rae’ in her name sounded like ‘ray’ in the name of the band Sugar Ray. Sugar Ray was one of her favorite bands, so she didn’t really mind me calling her that.

I have a confession to make now, one that I’ve never made to Rae Ru. I was actually ready to tell her before I joined Inki, but our little squabble stopped me. All this time, I was in love with Rae Ru, and I never stopped loving her, but now I had a problem. Rae Ru seems to be taken with Akira. Akira was a nice guy, despite his vices, but that’s beside the point. The point is if I was ready to step back, and allow Akira to have Rae Ru.

This was the other irony in her new name, Genevieve. Genevieve was the queen consort of King Arthur, who fell in love with Lancelot, Arthur’s chief knight and this lead to the ultimate fall of the kingdom. So was I Arthur, and Akira, Lancelot? Or because I had missed my chance, I was now Lancelot instead? If we were either, would our affections for Rae Ru lead to the fall of Inki? Akira had not mentioned it, but I could see he was a little fond of Rae Ru himself. Whether or not this would lead to an attraction, I dared not imagine. Should I step up to claim Rae Ru, or should I allow Akira to have her if she was happier with him?

“Do you like Akira?” I asked her one day, and she laughed.

“What makes you say that?” she said.

“I dunno. You sure talk an awful lot to him, and he seems to like you,” I pointed out.

“Chintcha?” she said, and blushed a little. “We’re just friends. He would never date a girl like me.”

“Why not?” I asked her.

“I’m nothing like the kind of girl he likes. He probably likes pretty, sophisticated and confident girls, like Ashley,” she said.

“If he did, he’d have dated her by now,” I said.

“Hmm… he hasn’t?”

“No one has ever dated Ashley. No one dares to,” I laughed.

“I wonder why,” she giggled.

“Yea…” I smiled.

I smiled at her, but inside, my stomach was churning. Rae Ru… Rae Ru… don’t you know how beautiful you are? How sophisticated you are? Coupled with your modesty, you were the ultimate girl… exactly the kind of girl Akira would want… exactly the kind of girl I want. What was confidence? Confidence was only a shield to protect a wary heart. Rae Ru had an open, generous heart; the kind of heart that captured most men with its ideals and innocence. Ashley could never be like Rae Ru because she was already too jaded to open herself up to anyone.

My fears were confirmed the day Akira started walking Rae Ru home. Akira was definitely interested in her.

“Akira,” I confronted him one day. “Are you serious about Gen?”

We referred to her as Gen within Inki and everywhere else. She was only Rae Ru when it’s only the two of us.

“She’s great, isn’t she?” he said, and I could feel my heart fall to my stomach.

“Isn’t she a little too innocent compared to your usual tastes?”

“I find her innocence refreshing,” he smiled. “It’s hard to find a girl like that these days. I’m pretty glad they’d brought her into Inki. They might have changed her appearance, but they haven’t managed to change her character.”

He was right. Rae Ru was still Rae Ru, despite looking like Genevieve. She still had her morals and her true character. It was something she never bothered to change or hide, no matter how often the girls tell her that it was unbecoming.

“Stop speaking to those losers,” Tanya had once told Rae Ru when she stopped to talk to a classmate.

“She’s not a loser,” Rae Ru said sternly. “Don’t say that.”

“You’re too friendly. You can’t be nice to everyone,” Tanya continued nagging. “You’re gonna make us too approachable, and people are not gonna respect us anymore.”

“Whoever told you that?” Rae Ru asked Tanya.

“Don’t you know anything? As long as people know nothing personal about you, and you’re unapproachable, they admire you from afar, and they’d also respect you,” Tanya explained, with the kind of pomp that you’d expect from someone who’d just discovered the cure for cancer.

“What a load of crock,” Rae Ru scoffed, and Tanya’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, shocked by Rae Ru’s boldness. “If anything, being a little nicer to people should bring us more respect.”

Tanya was rendered speechless by Rae Ru’s remark, and since that day, she never bothered to correct Rae Ru. Slowly but surely, Rae Ru’s character and her will to keep it had forced the others to accept it, even if it wasn’t the Inki way. In the past, all the members had always done what the Inki seniors told them to. Rae Ru had turned the tables, and made the others accept her rather than change her. How did she do that?

Had it been anyone else, they’d have kicked her out of Inki and shunned her by now, but for some odd reason, Ashley was putting up with Rae Ru, and since Ashley allowed it, the others had no power to reject it. I found it weird that Ashley was even slowly becoming friends with Rae Ru, despite being exact opposites. Did she have a motive in bringing Rae Ru into Inki? I wasn’t sure what Ashley was up to, but one thing’s for sure… if she hurts Rae Ru, I would never forgive her.

Hearing the way Akira spoke of Rae Ru, I was sure that his feelings for Rae Ru were genuine. I had no option but to silently step aside, and allow their relationship to happen.

“Be sure you don’t hurt her,” I told Akira, as I gave him a friendly thump on the shoulders.

“I wouldn’t for the world,” he said. “She’s too precious for me to be breaking her heart,” he smiled.

“You’re starting to sound a bit too love struck, Akira,” I laughed. I laughed even though this pain seared through my heart when he said that. It hurt… because it was exactly what I thought of her too.

“I can’t help it,” he grinned. “But don’t tell the others. I don’t want them to think the bad boy, Akira, had gone soft.”

“Sure,” I smiled reassuringly at him.

From that day onwards, I tried to give Rae Ru up, bit by bit. Before she joined Inki, I was waiting for our graduation to come. I’d planned everything for the moment we graduated. I was going to tell her how much I loved her, and how long I’ve waited for her, but someone had beat me to it. Akira was going to tell her how much he loved her, while I continued to wait. I didn’t want to confess while we were still in this school, because I knew the pressures she would have to be put under if I wanted to date her, since she wasn’t part of Inki. Now that she was in Inki, it would’ve been easy… if Akira hadn’t beaten me to it.

“Sugar Rae…”

“Yes?”

“Do you like Akira?” I asked her again some weeks later.

“Isn’t this like the 2nd time you’re asking me?” she said as she furrowed her brows.

“I think he likes you,” I told her.

If I can’t have her, the least I could do for her was to help her along, and make sure she finds happiness.

“Chongmal?” her face lit up.

“He told me,” I admitted.

“Omigod…” she said, and her expression changed from ecstatic to worry.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

“It’s nothing,” she said. “I’m just a little shocked.”

“You don’t look well,” I said. “Do you want to go to the nurse’s office? You really do look a little pale.”

“I’m fine… Nan kwaench’ana. Kotjongman,” she said.

“If you insist.”

“So what should I do?” she asked me.

“Huh?”

“What should I do about Akira?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I do now that I know he likes me?”

“Just act normal. He’ll tell you eventually. Let him make the first move, araji?”

“Araso,” she replied as she nodded.

I sighed as I watched her get back to doing her homework. I’d let her in on my schedule, and she’d decided to join me. We’re the only 2 members of Inki who actually take time off to study. I’m not sure what I’m doing now, but I just handed the girl I loved to my rival on a platter.

Akira walked up to Rae Ru nervously. The final bell had rang awhile ago, and they were supposed to go somewhere with the crew in about half an hour’s time.

‘Why am I even nervous?’ he thought to himself. ‘That’s because you never had to ask, fool,’ he smiled to himself.

It's true that Akira had never had to ask a girl. They usually threw themselves at him. He was pretty thankful to be in Seoul. The identity of the cool foreign student had given him a social status he might have had to earn in Japan. But here, the girls treated him like some super star. Even so, he was attracted to a girl who didn’t treat him like a star, but as a friend. That girl was Rae Ru, or Gen, as they called her now.

“Gen,” he called out to her as he approached her.

She turned around and gave him her warm dazzling smile; a smile that was her trademark among the crew, for everyone wanted to be cool and distant, but Rae Ru was always warm and inviting.

“Akira!” she greeted him.

Akira was tempted to close his eyes and savor the way she called his name.

‘God… I love her voice,’ he thought.

He could feel his affections grow for her each day; every time she spoke, every time they met. It could be just an overrated infatuation, but he enjoyed it, and so… he was going to move in for the kill.

“We need to talk,” he said to Rae Ru as he took her hand.

“Talk? Where are we going?” she asked him.

“Let’s go to the rooftop,” he said.

‘This is it…’ Rae Ru thought. ‘He’s gonna confess… ottoke?’

They walked up a few flights of stairs and came to the rooftop of the school’s main building. Akira walked towards the edge of the walls and looked down. As he looked up, Rae Ru admired the way the wind was whipping his hair back, and the expression of calmness on his face. Akira always looked laid back and Zen. Rae Ru often wondered if it was a Japanese trait of his.

“What is it you wanted to talk about?” she asked him as she came to stand beside him.

“I…” he started, but faltered. “What I’m gonna say might come as a shock,” he continued.

‘Here goes…’ Rae Ru thought.

“I think I might be in love with you,” he finally admitted.

“Ye?” Rae Ru exclaimed.

Even though she’d expected him to say something like that, she was still shocked to hear the words from his mouth.

“Nan… neoreul neomu choaheyo,” he repeated.

“Chintchayo?” she blurted out.

‘Aissshiii… pabo!’ she thought as soon as the words left her mouth. She felt like smacking herself for the stupid question she just asked.

“Chintcha,” he said, and he smiled.

“I…” she started stammering.

“You don’t have to say anything now,” he said as he took her hand. “At least just tell me if you’ll date me.”

“Date?”

“Yes… you know… go out, see a movie, hold hands… like what I’m doing now?” he laughed softly.

Rae Ru looked down at her hand and sure enough, he was still holding it. Rae Ru blushed and pulled her hand away from his.

“Wae?” he asked softly. “Nan shiro?”

“Ani…” she quickly said. She didn’t hate him. She just didn’t know what to do now.

“Then can you give me a chance?” he asked. “Give us a chance?”

“Can I think about it, Akira?” she asked him.

She’d been thinking about it since Chang Min told her, but somehow she felt she needed to think some more.

“Sure,” he smiled. “Don’t break my heart,” he added.

“Akira…” she sighed, obviously pressured.

“Just joking,” he said. “Whatever your decision is, I will respect it.”

“Komapda,” she said.

“Kwaench’ana,” he said. “Let’s go. The crew’s waiting.”

‘He’s confessed,’ Chang Min thought as he observed Rae Ru and Akira when they joined the crew.

Somewhere deep inside, he could feel a knife twisting. Did he make the wrong decision? Was Rae Ru supposed to be his? He noticed that they weren’t holding hands yet or even speaking to each other with ease. He concluded that Rae Ru hadn’t agreed yet. But it was too late for him. If he chose to fight for Rae Ru now, Akira would probably hate him for encouraging him in the first place.

‘Just pretend nothing had happened,’ Chang Min told himself as Rae Ru approached him.

“Max,” she smiled, emphasizing his name on purpose.

She’d always found it absurd that they wanted to change his name. Chang Min had such a cute name. There was no need to call him Max. She remembered asking him about it when she joined Inki.

“So what does Max stand for? Maximus… Maxmillian?”

“Just Max,” he smiled. “Maximum, maybe… always to the max,” he laughed.

“I thought you’d have a significant meaning for your name.”

“You’re the only one who has a really significant name. The rest of the girls named themselves after celebrities.”

“Really?” she smiled. “Thanks… I guess, for picking my name.”

“No problem.”

Chang Min gave her a tired-looking expression when she called his name in that deliberate tone, then smiled.

“When are you ever gonna stop making fun of my name?”

“I’m not making fun,” she giggled.

“You know you’re lying,” he said.

“Aniyo…” she said sweetly.

Akira watched on as Rae Ru made friendly banter with Chang Min. He’d noticed the ease the both of them communicated for a long time. Rae Ru had never spoken to him in that manner, and sometimes, it made him jealous of Chang Min. It also made him wonder if Chang Min actually was more than a friend to Rae Ru. At least he could take comfort in the fact that Chang Min wasn’t interested in Rae Ru. If he were, he wouldn’t have encouraged him to confess to Rae Ru.

A week had passed, and Rae Ru had thought about Akira’s proposal. There was no reason for her to refuse since she had no other guy who liked her enough to confess his feelings to her, and she did like Akira.

“Okay,” she answered him, the next time he asked for her decision.

“Really? Chongmal?” he said.

“Yea,” she smiled. “But let’s take it slow… let’s have a trial period,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s try it out for a few months, and if it doesn’t work, we can part amicably. If we’re happy, we carry on,” she said.

“I really don’t see how this is useful,” he smiled, “but if this is how you want it, I’m okay.”

“Let’s have this trial last until the prom,” she said.

“And? What happens then?”

“If, for some reason, one of us doesn’t want to be together, we just say so, and we don’t have to give the other person an explanation,” she elaborated.

“Okay… if that’s how you want it.”

None of the members of Inki were really surprised that Akira wanted to date Rae Ru, but the entire school was shocked… especially Akira’s fans. From the day they became an official couple, Rae Ru would always hear whispers about her whenever she walked down the hallways with Akira or when she was alone.

“Ignore them,” he’d say, and tightened his arm around her shoulders as they walked pass the catty girls.

When walking alone, she’d just walk past them with her head held as high as she could and she’d block out the stuff they’d say about her.

“Do you regret your decision with Akira?” Chang Min asked her one day.

She stared ahead silently as he waited for her reply. They were studying together as usual, and he felt that she seemed distracted.

“No,” she smiled. “He makes me happy, and I really don’t care what people say,” she said.

“Good,” he smiled warmly at her, as his heart contracted and the pain seared through his entire being.

2 months had passed, and autumn had begun. In 1 month’s time, it would be prom night. I walked down the sidewalk with Akira, inhaling the cool autumn air as we headed home after an outing with Inki.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked me.

“Nothing,” I smiled at him, and I leant my head on his shoulder as we walked on.

“Nothing?” he repeated after me.

“Nothing,” I smiled.

“If I say ‘nothing’ again, will you say it again too?”

“Maybe… then we can keep at this all night,” I laughed.

“Come here, crazy,” he said as he hugged me tightly to his side has he laughed softly.

I lied when I told him it was nothing. Something was happening, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. Something had changed within me, and I didn’t dare say it to Akira.

We were at the noraebang tonight, and everyone was there as usual, having fun, going crazy, and then I noticed Chang Min watching me. It wasn’t the first time that I’ve noticed, and it wasn’t the first time I’ve caught him. When I asked him about it, he just said that I was delusional. It was his eyes… the one thing I’ve always noticed about him. The way he looked at me… it felt like longing. But if Chang Min longed for me, why did he give me away to Akira?

The worst thing about this is that I’ve begun to feel that my relationship with Akira was a mistake. I was confused by my initial admiration for him and now that he was real to me, the admiration had faded. Sure we like each other, and I’m comfortable with him, but I’m pretty sure it’s not love. I promised him a trial up till the prom, so I guess I will have to honor it.

“Here we are,” Akira said as we reached my doorstep.

“Yep,” I said as I pulled away from him.

“Naeil pwayo,” he said as he leant down to kiss me on the cheek.

We’ve never kissed on the lips. He’d never tried to initiate it, and neither have I. I guess we’re just not prepared for it yet, but we were fine with hugging and holding hands.

“Naeil pwayo,” I said as I turned and walked up the steps to the door.

That was our routine. Each day Akira would walk me home, we’d share an innocent kiss at my doorstep, and that was all. He’d call me each night, and we’d have conversations, but we didn’t talk up a storm like I would with Chang Min. Some nights, I find myself missing his voice, and wishing he’d call, even if it was just for some meaningless conversation.

It was the week before the prom, and I was out shopping with the girls.

“How about this one?” Mischa said as she thrust a burgundy dress in my face.

“Yah! Mischa! Neo michoso?” Ashley said. “You want her to look like some ajumma?”

The good thing about being in Inki is that the girls never sabotage each other. They made sure everyone looked good, because they wanted to protect the reputation of the crew. They would never allow someone in the crew to look worse off than they were. They cared so much to the extent that they even took care of what the guys in Inki wore, at least those who were inept when it came to fashion. Guys like Akira and Chang Min never needed their help.

“What’s Akira wearing?” Tanya asked me.

“I don’t know, but I know he’s wearing something blue.”

“I think he’s gonna wear that student uniform thing he likes so much,” Cher said.

“Doesn’t he get tired of that?” Ashley said.

“I guess he just wants to be in touch with his Japanese roots,” Tanya laughed.

“I found it!” Mischa said as she held out a blue dress, the perfect dress.

It was a powder blue, empire cut dress with a flowing skirt; something like that gown Jennifer Lopez wore in the movie Maid in Manhattan.

“Omigod! I want that!” Cher exclaimed.

“I think Gen should wear it,” Ashley said.

“Aww…” Cher whined.

“Yea… it’s so gonna match Akira’s suit,” Tanya said.

“Thanks, Mischa,” I said as I took the dress out of her hands.

“What are you waiting for?” Mischa smiled. “Try it on!”

“Okay,” I said and I walked into the dressing room.

I opened the door after putting the dress on and took a few steps back so that I could see myself in the mirror.

“Wow!” Tanya said. “I thought we were going to need alterations done, but it fits you perfectly.”

“It does,” I said as I ran my hands down the dress, admiring how elegant I looked in it.

“How much is it?” Cher asked and Ashley pulled out the tag to have a look.

“150,000 won!” Cher exclaimed.

“What?” I said as I turned around to face them, my reverie shattered.

“50%,” Ashley added, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

“50%?” Cher said, looking at Ashley with a puzzled expression.

“Yea… didn’t you see?” she said as she held out the tag for Cher. “50%” she repeated as she pointed at the tag.

“Oooh… I see now,” Cher said.

“Sorry I pulled the tag off,” Ashley said. “You turned so suddenly.”

“Good thing you didn’t rip the dress doing that,” Tanya said.

“Yea,” I smiled. “No harm done. Let me change out of this and pay for it. It’s perfect isn’t it?” I said as I admired the dress once more.

“Yes it is,” the girls chorused, and then they all giggled.

I emerged from the dressing room a few minutes later to find the girls huddled at the cashier, waiting for me.

“Anything else?” the cashier asked me.

“No,” I said as I took out the cash I’d brought with me.

75,000 won for the dress. Good thing it had a 50% discount. Now I can find some shoes and accessories to go with it.

I had just gotten home and landed on my bed when my phone rang.

“Yeoboseyo?” I said as I answered it.

“Did you have fun?” Akira said as soon as I finished my greeting.

“Hey…” I smiled. “I found a dress! At 50% too.”

“Great job!” he laughed. “What color is it?”

“Blue, like your suit,” I said.

“Erm… Gen… my suit’s black,” he said.

“Black? Didn’t you say blue? You told me it was blue yesterday,” I said.

I was really confused and baffled now. I remembered distinctly that he’d said that his suit was blue.

“I said Max’s suit was blue,” he said.

“You did?”

“Yea. I was telling you how we went and got a black suit for me and a blue one for him.”

“Omo… ottoke?” I exclaimed.

“It’s fine…” he laughed. “Black goes with everything.”

“It does?” I said, and realized how silly I sounded.

“Yes it does…” Akira laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”

We talked a bit, and then hung up since I was tired from the day’s shopping expedition. I still can’t believe I remembered wrongly. What is wrong with me? How could I have gotten Akira and Chang Min’s suit colors mixed up?

I got up from my bed and pulled out the dress. It was so beautiful, and worth every cent I paid for it. I put it on again, together with the shoes and accessories I’d bought to complement it. I admired myself in the mirror and for a moment, I closed my eyes to imagine how I would look on Akira’s arm on prom night, but instead of Akira, I saw Chang Min.

“Chang Min,” I whispered, and opened my eyes.

Did I really want to be with Chang Min that much? I’ve been having dreams about him these past few nights. The closer prom day came, the more intense the dreams become. In those dreams, we were in each other’s arms, dancing, in an empty room, and as the music ended, I’d look up at him, he’d lean down slowly, and I’d wake up. What did it mean? Have I really been lying to myself when I called Chang Min a friend? Did I love him all this while?

I woke up with a start again. It was that dream again… I kept having the same dream for the past few nights. I’d dream of me and Rae Ru dancing in an empty room. Our bodies pressed against each other as I hummed the melody of the song into her ear, and as the music ended, I looked down at her, and she looked up at me with her beautiful eyes. When she looked up, I’d lean down slowly. I wanted to kiss her, I was dying to kiss her, but as soon as our lips were about to touch, I’d wake up.

Each night the dream would repeat itself, and each time I would come closer and closer to her lips, but the dream would always be cut short, and I’d wake up, my heart beating like crazy, and still wanting to know how her lips would have felt or tasted. Tonight, it felt like it was the closest I could ever get, and I actually felt a little disappointed.

I’ve not spoken much to Rae Ru these past months. She was busy with her relationship with Akira and getting acclimated to being in Inki. In another 12 hours, it would be prom night. The night most of us were waiting for, and the night I dreaded. Another event for me to witness the beautiful relationship Rae Ru had with Akira.

It was like any other Saturday, except today we weren’t going out with the crew since most of the girls were busy primping for the prom, but I managed to get Akira out of the house to meet me for a drink.

“Wassup,” he said as he sat down in front of me at our usual table, at the usual coffee place.

“I was bored, and everyone’s so busy getting ready for tonight.”

“Don’t you need to get ready?” he asked me.

“What’s there to do other than to put on the suit and fix my hair?” I laughed.

“Nah… thought you might have gone for a facial or something,” he joked.

“Is that what Japanese guys do?” I asked him.

“Yea… we’re pretty metrosexual… NOT,” he laughed.

“For a moment there, I thought you were serious,” I laughed.

“Did Rae Ru tell you about her dress?” he asked me, out of the blue.

“What?”

“Her dress… the one she was wearing tonight.”

“I haven’t spoken much to her lately. What about it?”

“It’s blue.”

“So?”

“Your suit’s blue,” he said.

“And…?”

“Mine’s black,” he added and rolled his eyes.

“Right… and does this have anything to do with me?

“She’d meant for her dress to match my suit.”

“I never knew that Rae Ru was color blind,” I joked.

“She got our suit colors mixed up, cos I told her about your suit when I was telling her about mine.”

“Okay… not color blind, maybe Alzheimer,” I laughed.

“What going on with her?” he said suddenly and his expression changed. “Sometimes I think that the both of you still share this bond that even our relationship can’t conquer. And the weird thing is, the two of you don’t see each other as often anymore, or even talk to each other. How is it that you keep living in her subconscious?”

“Whoah… cool down man. I’m sure it was her being ditzy or absent-minded. She would never intentionally play you like that, and neither would I. I’m sure she’s into you,” I said.

No matter how much I wish that what he said was true, that Rae Ru and I were not finished, I had to remember that as a friend, I couldn’t do this to him. I was the one who encouraged him to be with her. I can’t betray him like this.

“I know you’re in her mind, whether she knows it or not,” he said.

“You can’t be serious, Akira,” I said. “If I were, I would be beside her now, not you.”

“It just took her all this time to realize it, and I wouldn’t stand in your way if she chooses you,” he said.

“Stop it, Akira,” I said as sternly as I could.

“I’ve always felt that you had something… a certain fate that I would never be able to contest. If you guys are meant to be, then it shall be.”

“You’re crazy, Akira,” I said in disbelief. “If you love her that much, you hang on to her. You don’t just give up.”

“This isn’t giving up, Max. It’s nothing like how you gave her up and let me have her,” he said. “Don’t think I don’t know that you stepped aside just because you thought she’d be happier with me. You gave her up, and if I step aside now, it’s because I’ve tried, and found that it wasn’t meant to be. I’m not just giving her up without a fight,” he said.

When he finished his speech, he stood up, threw some bills on the table, and walked out without another word. I sat there for the longest time, staring blankly at the table, and trying to digest the words he’d just thrown at me. Did I give up too easily? Should I have fought for Rae Ru?

6pm… and I was dressed and walking out of my house. I checked myself in the mirror in the hallway just before I left the house. Akira and I had gotten these gakuran inspired suits, which looked a lot like the school uniforms worn during pre-1949 China, but we managed to snazzy it up so that they did not look bland.

“Oma! I’m leaving now,” I said as I walked out the door.

I got to the prom venue within half and hour and looked around for the crew. I found the guys hanging around the smoking area near the reception, even though only Akira and Gerald were the only ones who were smoking.

“Hey guys,” I said as I approached them.

“Yo… Max… looking good,” Evan exclaimed as he slapped my back.

“Yea…” Gerald said as he let out a puff of smoke. “Those girls there have been going hysterical since you walked in.”

I turned around and sure enough, there were a group of girls hovered in a corner, squealing as they kept pointing towards us.

“Omo! Max… omigod… I must dance with him tonight,” one of them squealed.

“In your dreams…” Evan answered for me, and the guys laughed.

Just then, the girls arrived. Ashley walked in with Tanya, and behind then was Rae Ru. I felt as if my lungs were being constricted when I saw her. That dress… the one Akira had been yammering about yesterday… it was breathtaking. It made Rae Ru look absolutely breathtaking. Then I noticed on her collarbone was the pendant I gave her. They called it the Asteria pendant; a crystal 6-point star. I’d given it to her long ago, but I never thought she’d kept it till now. Could Akira have been telling the truth? Did I still have a shot?

“Here come the girls,” Gerald smirked as he stubbed his cigarette in the bin provided.

“Really… Gerald,” Ashley coughed and fanned the air around her as she approached. “Must you smoke tonight? How am I going to survive the entire night beside you if you kept puffing like a chimney?”

It was really last minute, and a surprise to us all, but Gerald had asked Ashley to be his partner for tonight, and she agreed. In fact, most of the girls were pairing off with the guys tonight, and the only single one was me.

“You know you like how it makes me look like a bad boy,” Gerald joked, and Ashley smacked him with her purse.

I turned around to see Akira walking off with Rae Ru, and they were holding hands. I sighed to myself as I turned back to look at the rest of the crew; definitely wishful thinking on my part.

Akira led Rae Ru out to the little garden behind the hotel where their prom was held, and he sat her down on a bench.

“What is it?” she asked him.

“You look beautiful tonight. Neomu areumdapta,” he said as he reached out to touch her hair; she’d just blown it out and allowed it to frame her face instead of tying it up.

“Komawo,” she replied, blushing.

“Nice pendant,” he said.

“Oh… igo?” she said as she touched it. “Chang Min gave it to me long ago.”

“Chang Min?”

“Max…” she said.

“Oh… yea. Sometimes I forget that’s his real name.”

“I just found it while looking for something to wear, and it matched the dress…”

“You don’t have to explain your actions to me,” Akira said.

“I just don’t want you to…”

“Get the wrong idea?” he finished for her.

“Yea…” she said.

“I know what I see, Gen. I’m not blind,” he said.

“Akira…”

“Do you love me, Gen?”

“Akira…”

“Chintcha… answer me… I’ve told you that I loved you, but you’ve never told me that you loved me. Today is the last day of our ‘trial’. I think you should decide now. Do you love me enough to continue with me, or is there someone else in your heart?”

“I… I do like you, Akira.”

“Liking is not the same as loving. Maybe you just like me as a friend. If that is the truth, then please say it. I can live with it. It’s your happiness you will be forsaking if you choose to lie and carry on with me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve given you plenty of room to decide, I’ve been so patient with you… waiting for your decision. So I hope that you will do me a favor and end my misery now.”

“I thought we’d just go to the prom, and maybe decide later.”

“I can’t enjoy myself until I know the truth,” he said.

“But I don’t know the answer now,” she cried helplessly.

“You don’t know? Do you want both me and Max in front of you to help you decide?”

“Max? This is about Max?”

“Then, who else is on your mind?”

“No one… don’t be daft.”

“Then say it…”

“I can’t. I don’t know how to decide,” she said.

“Then, let me help you,” he said, and he pulled her up on her feet.

“Akira…” she protested, and he cut her off with a kiss.

It wasn’t a rough kiss, his hands gently framed her face and Rae Ru’s were clutching the edge of his jacket as they kissed. Oddly enough, Rae Ru didn’t feel violated. She just gave into it and allowed Akira to kiss her; she wanted to know how it felt, and she wanted to see if she really had any spark with Akira. A few seconds later, he pulled away and looked Rae Ru straight in the eyes.

“Nothing there,” he smiled.

“Akira…”

“You didn’t feel anything either, did you?” he asked her.

“Mianhae,” she said.

“Don’t be sorry. All’s fair in love and war,” he said softly.

“Mianhae,” she said, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Ya… uljima. You don’t want your makeup to run down your face,” he said as he gently wiped the tear off for her.

“Why are you still so nice to me?” she asked him.

“Because I do love you, and I know you never meant to hurt me.”

“I’m a bad person…” she said.

“No you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be crying now,” he said as he put an arm around her.

“Komapda,” she said, and she hugged him.

Now she understood why she was comfortable with him. It wasn’t love… it was the comfort of being with a friend, or a brother, because he always made her feel protected.

“Let’s go,” he said as he pulled away.

He offered her his arm, she linked hers with his, and they walked back towards the hall where the prom would be held.

It’s been about an hour, and Chang Min had been standing there all this while, watching everyone around him. Rae Ru and Akira had come in sometime ago, and they seemed to look happier than ever.

‘I guess that means it’s over for me,’ he thought as he sipped his drink.

He’d contemplated leaving a little earlier, but just then, the guys wanted to have a dance off, and he was dragged into it. It started off with Evan and Gerald competing. First Evan did this routine of robotic moves, then Gerald copied and added his bits as a challenge to Evan… this continued for a few more rounds until Evan gave up, and left the dance floor. The music continued, and the crowd was waiting for the next 2 dancers to battle it out. Akira stepped forward and he pointed at Chang Min.

“Me?” Chang Min said, pretend to be shocked, then he smiled and slid onto the dance floor in one smooth move.

Akira started break dancing. He did a windmill and ended with a freeze by standing on one hand, his legs in the air. Chang Min clapped his hands, applauding Akira, and got the crowd to do the same, then he launched into his routine. He started with the windmill, jumped up and did some wave movements, and then instead of a freeze on one hand like Akira did, he spun around on one hand, switching hands as he repeated each turn.

The crowd went wild when Chang Min jumped up, and Akira cheered, acknowledging Chang Min’s moves. Akira jumped forward and did a cartwheel in the air, then did a half-split as he landed before gesturing to Chang Min. Chang Min took off his jacket and handed it to Gerald before he walked up to Akira and did the same, but after his half-split, he got up, and did the caterpillar, that’s when Akira put up his hands in the air signifying defeat, and Chang Min bowed to the crowd as they cheered. Just as they were walking off the dance floor, Akira pulled Chang Min to him and whispered in his ear.

“Go get her,” he said, “I’ve got your back,” and when Chang Min gave him a puzzled expression, all he did was wink before he walked off.

Chang Min looked around for Akira as soon as he walked away from the crowd at the dance floor, but he couldn’t find him.

‘Go get her? What did he mean? Was he talking about Rae Ru?’ he wondered.

He started looking around for Rae Ru, and he found her at the edge of the crowd with the other girls, watching the dance battle carry on. He started walking towards her. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he got there, or what he was going to say, but Akira had given him the message, and he had a feeling this was what he’d meant. As he approached her side, the music changed from the hard beats of hip hop they were using for the battle, to a slow song, TVXQ’s ‘Proud’. Chang Min looked up and saw Akira beside the DJ, and when their eyes met, Akira gave Chang Min a little salute.

The crowd groaned in dismay, since the battle ended so abruptly, but one by one, couples started to pair off and slow dance.

‘It’s now or never,’ Chang Min thought, and he tapped Rae Ru on the shoulder.

“Can I have this dance?” he said to her, and she smiled.

“Sure.”

They walked slowly onto the dance floor, and Rae Ru took Chang Min by surprise by putting both her arms around his waist and leaning on his chest as they swayed to the music. Chang Min put his arms around her and leant his head on hers.

“What’s going on, Rae Ru?” Chang Min whispered softly.

“What do you mean?” she said, not looking up to meet his eyes.

“What’s happened to you and Akira? Are you sure he’s not going to mind you hugging me like this?” he asked her.

“Akira and I are friends,” she said.

“Friends?”

“Ne… chingu,” she said.

“I thought…”

“Saranghae,” she said, and she tightened her arms around him.

“Mworago?” he said, and he stopped moving.

“Saranghae, Chang Min,” she said as she looked up at him. “It took me so long to realize, but I love you. I always have.”

Chang Min was speechless for a moment. His mind felt like it was running amok, and his heart felt like it was ready to burst.

‘She loved me?’ he thought. ‘She really loves me?’

“Chongmallo?” he asked her, and she nodded.

His hands came up to stroke her cheek, and just like in his dream, it felt like everyone in the entire room had disappeared as he leant down to kiss her.

“Saranghae,” he said just before their lips met.

Chang Min walked Rae Ru home that night. He’d taken off his jacket and put it on her as they walked with their arms around each other.

“So what do we do now?” she asked him.

“Go home and sleep?” he laughed.

“I mean us,” she laughed as she gently hit him on the chest.

“What do you wanna do, Sugar Rae?” he asked her.

“Are you gonna keep calling me that forever?”

“I can’t get used to calling you Rae Ru or Gen,” he said.

“Fine…” she laughed. “Sugar Rae it is…”

“You know… you’re gonna have some problems when we go back to school next week,” Chang Min said.

“What?”

“You had to deal with Akira’s admirers back then, now you’ll have to deal with mine,” he said.

“Do you actually have admirers?”

“I’ll have you know that I have my very own fan club,” he huffed.

“Then, what else can I do? I’ll just have to face them,” she said.

“You know… that’s what I love about you,” he said.

“What?”

“Your spunk… that bravery,” he laughed.

“Good… you’re gonna see lots of it from now on,” she said.

“From now till when?” he asked.

“Whenever… that is if I don’t get tired of you,” she giggled.

“Mwo?” he exclaimed loudly.

“Yea… I call the shots,” she said as she moved away from him.

“Who told you that you could?” he said as he tried to close the gap between them, but each time she moved further, slinking out of his grasp.

“Me…” she laughed as she broke into a full run, and he chased after her.

It felt like everything has come to a full circle now. Chang Min and Rae Ru were now together again. Different circumstances and stronger bond; they’d managed to realize their true feelings before it was too late, but not without a little help…

“Everything went as planned?” a figure emerged from the shadows as Ashley walked up to it.

“Yep…” she said.

“You look good,” he said, taking in her full attire.

She had on a pearl colored toga top dress that looked like something a Greek goddess would wear, and her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon.

“So do you,” she smiled.

He was wearing a simple denim jacket, t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but to Ashley, he could rival Won Bin or Hyun Bin or any good looking male actor with his style and charisma.

“Here,” he said as he handed her an envelope.

“What’s this?” she asked him.

“The money I owe you? For that dress you paid for.”

“You don’t have to, Tae Ik oppa,” she said.

“I asked for your help to get them back together. You don’t need to dip into your own pockets to help me.”

“I don’t want your money, but there’s something I do want from you,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked her.

She reached her hand out and placed it behind his neck, and she tiptoed so that their lips met.

“I was half expecting that,” he laughed, and he kissed her again just before pulling away.

“I never forgot you,” she said.

“I know,” he said. “Neither have I.”

They stood there for sometime, her hand still on his shoulder, as he caressed her free hand.

“Let’s go,” he said, and they walked away hand in hand, into the night.

I’m not a pole dancer; I’m just the pole!

2007-07-13T18:58:00.000+08:00

This is a short story I wrote based on a joke between me and my colleagues during breakfast… hope you guys get a laugh out of it. Michael is a real person, and yes… he is indeed 190cm / 6.2 feet.

This would be my first non-celebrity fiction :P

I’m not a pole dancer; I’m just the pole!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You wouldn’t believe the story I have to tell you, but I assure you it’s true. Whenever I tell people about my extra-curricular activities, all I get are bug eyes and dropped jaws.

“You’re in a pole dancing class?” they exclaim.

“Yes,” I would reply.

“You pole dance?” they continue.

“No,” I’d reply. “I’m the pole.”

It all began when I saw this odd advertisement in a local magazine.

Are you tall? Can you stand still and remain emotionless for long periods of time? If you’ve answered ‘Yes’ to both questions, we need you. Call 013-xxxxxxx.

‘Why would they need a tall and still person?’ I wondered, and out of curiosity, I called them.

“Hello?” a lady answered.

“Hi…” I said. “I’m calling about the ad you put out in X magazine?”

“Ah, yes… are you interested?”

“I’m just wondering… what is it that you need a tall and still person for?”

“If you’re really interested, you can drop by,” she said. “We’re open tomorrow at 8pm, for classes.”

“Classes?”

“Yes,” she said. “Let me give you our address.”

I jotted down the address, thanked her, and hung up. Tomorrow, I shall find out what the mystery is about.

I arrived at a row of shop lots and scanned the plates on the doors to find the number corresponding to the address she’d given me. I found it and started climbing up the dark stairway. On my way up, I could hear music coming from the door at the top of the stair.

‘Hmm… music… must be a dance class,’ I thought.

I opened the door and walked in and immediately about 20 pairs of eyes were focusing on me. The girls were all dressed in the normal workout outfits; tank tops, tights, leg warmers and sneakers; definitely a dance class… of some sort.

“Erm… Hi! I’m Michael… here about the ad?” I said nervously.

“I’m Eva,” a slim and petite girl walked up to me. “I was the one you called yesterday.”

“Michael,” I reintroduced myself and offered my hand.

“You’re really tall,” she said as she shook my hand. “How tall are you?”

“190cm,” I said and I could hear gasps go around the room.

“I think you might be the guy we need,” she smiled.

The class turned out to be a pole dancing class, and I was to be the ‘pole’ for the girls to practice on. Sounds bizarre, but I swear it’s true. What’s more… at $500 a month, it was an easy and fun job for a lot of money.

I was pretty nervous during my first class. I stiffened up, no pun intended, whenever the girls were asked to rub against me or even when they touched me as they walked around me. Thankfully, none of them were humongous and hairy women, and eventually, I got used to all the touching, rubbing and grinding. I’m really becoming a pro at this and I tell you… it takes a lot of self-control to do this job. Being able to remain indifferent and emotionless like this could help you on your path to being a saint… that is, if you want to be.

I get looks of admiration from the guys I tell this to, and sometimes, looks of disgust from the women, but who cares, I’m happy. Who gets to be rubbed on by 20 women once a week and get paid $500? I do!

Ice Box ~ Part Two

2007-05-26T11:08:00.000+08:00

There is an ice box where your heart used to be... you're so cold. If only you could learn to love again... if only you would love me like you once loved her... just once... that's all I ask of you...

Ice Box ~ Part Two

She stared at the man who gripping her hand. He was tall, polished and good looking. He had on a casual grey suit, and sunglasses pushed up onto his head like a headband. You would never expect him to be a stalker or psycho kind of guy.

“Ajeosshi,” she said as she tried to pry her arm out of his vise-like grip. “Please let me go.”

“Jin Yi, it’s you, isn’t it?” he said.

Why won’t she acknowledge me? Why won’t she admit who she is?

“I’m not Jin Yi,” she said, “My name is not Jin Yi,” she yelled in frustration and finally, she managed to pull her arm out of his grasp. In doing so, she dropped the bouquet she was holding.

“You’re not Jin Yi?” he said.

“My name is Sierra. Are you drunk or something?” she said as she rubbed the part of her arm where he’d gripped her so tightly.

“Choesonghamnida,” Yun Ho said, finally awakening from the shock.

He’d wanted so much to believe that Jin Yi was still alive and she wasn’t. This Sierra girl really looked like Jin Yi. They were exact carbon copies, except for their hairstyles. Jin Yi had long hair that reached the small of her back, and this Sierra had short layered hair that almost reached her shoulders.

“Are you alright, ajeosshi?” she said as she peered at him.

He’d suddenly gone pale, as if he was in shock.

Shouldn’t I be the one in shock?

“Sierra,” a voice sounded from above and they both looked up.

A guy dressed in a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans jogged down the stairs.

“Oppa,” she greeted him.

“Kwaench’ana?” he asked as he came to stood beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Nan kwaench’ana,” she replied.

“Who is this?” he asked her as he looked at Yun Ho.

“Erm… this is,” she started.

“Jung Yun Ho. Detective Jung Yun Ho,” he said.

“Park Jung Su,” the guy replied and extended his hand to Yun Ho.

“Nice to meet you, Sierra-sshi, Jung Su-sshi. I’ll take my leave now. Annyeonghi kyeseyo,” he said as he pulled his sunglasses down to cover his eyes.

“Annyeonghi kaseyo,” Jung Su replied, as he and Sierra watched Yun Ho walk away.

She’s taken… to think I actually mistook her for Jin Yi. She doesn’t even come close to Jin Yi…

“Who was that?” Jung Su asked Sierra.

“Just some guy,” Sierra said dismissively. “Let’s go see oma,” she said as she bent down to pick up the bouquet.

Sierra turned back as she and Jung Su walked down. Even from behind, he looked distinguished and poised, but he also looked depressed.

I wonder what happened to him. Who is this Jin Yi?

A week later, Sierra was standing in line at a café, waiting to place her order. She stepped forward as the guy in front moved away. The guy’s tray almost hit her, and she managed to step away just in time, but she lost her balance while doing so. She let out a cry, anticipating the impact of her butt and the ground, but someone reached out to steady her.

“Komapseumnida,” she said as she tried to regain her composure.

She turned around to have a look at her savior. To her surprise, it was the guy from the cemetery.

“Hello Sierra,” he said.

“Ah… hello…” she said. She’d forgotten his name.

“It’s Yun Ho,” he smiled.

“Miss? Your order?” the cashier called out.

“Excuse me for a moment,” she smiled at Yun Ho and turned to place her order.

They ended up having coffee together, and Yun Ho explained to her why he’d acted the way he did at the cemetery.

“Wow,” she said. “I look like your ex-girlfriend? That’s a little hard to believe.”

“We can always go back to the cemetery, and I’ll prove it to you,” he smiled.

“That’s okay. I’ll take your word for it,” she smiled back.

“Komawo,” he said.

“It must have been painful, then. Losing the one you love.”

“The pain dulls eventually,” he said wistfully as he stirred his coffee. “So where’s your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?”

“That guy you were with at the cemetery.”

“Oh… Jung Su oppa? He’s my cousin. We were visiting my mother’s grave,” she smiled.

So he thought I had a boyfriend.

“So you don’t have a boyfriend?” he asked her.

“Nope.”

“Good,” he said. “Would you go out for dinner with me tomorrow?”

“Dinner?” she exclaimed.

Wow… that was fast…

“Yea, dinner.”

“Erm… are you sure? Do you think it’s a good idea for you to go out with me when I look so much like her? I’m not partial to being a substitute.”

“You’re nothing like her,” he said. “You’re actually complete opposites, other than the fact that the both of you are friendly.”

“I don’t usually have coffee with strangers,” she laughed.

“That makes the two of us,” he said.

“In that case, dinner it is,” she smiled.

How much harm could a little dinner do?

3 months later…

Yun Ho slammed the door as he entered the apartment, startling Sierra as she walked out of the kitchen.

“Yun Ho,” she called out. “Waegeurae?”

“Don’t ask,” he said as he sat down at the dinner table.

She’d cooked dinner for him, and as usual, it was cold by the time he got home.

“Tough day?” she said as she came to stand behind him and started massaging his shoulders.

“Hmm…” was all he could say as he picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.

“I’m gonna clean up in the kitchen. Take your time,” she said as she walked out.

It’s been 3 months since they met, and a month since they got together as a couple. The first dinner had lead to more dinners, then there were movies, outings during the weekends and finally, a month ago, he told her that he really cared for her.

“You can’t be serious, Yun Ho,” was her reply. “You still have her in your mind. I know that I’m just a substitute.”

“Sierra, you’re not a substitute. I know who I’m looking at. I know who I’m talking to. You’re Sierra, not Jin Yi.”

“But will I ever live up to her?” she asked him.

“She’s dead, you’re here, and I love you,” he said, and he kissed her.

He’d opened up slowly these past months. She now knew why losing Jin Yi had been so painful for him. Jin Yi had only gotten close to him because she had been assigned to kill him. She still couldn’t imagine that someone could plot something like this; to pretend to care for someone, whilst planning to end their life.

It has only been a month, and so much has changed. She now saw a side of him she hadn’t noticed back then. Every night, he’d come home, stressed and moody. He refused to talk about work or how he felt. It was as if he didn’t trust her at all. Was this love?

She was loading the dishwasher when she felt him walk up behind her. She knew what he was going to do, and turned around to meet his gaze.

“Hey there,” he said and he put his arms around her waist.

“Hey,” she smiled.

It was always like this. After he’d had dinner and relaxed, he would come to her and he would be the Yun Ho she met at the café again. She sighed as he started kissing her neck. Despite him mistrusting her, despite the times he didn’t pay attention to her, they had chemistry, and there were good times too. The reason she’s sticking with him was that she knew that he just needed time to heal, and when his heart is healed, they would be able to be happy together.

She woke up the next morning and tiptoed around the bedroom, collecting her clothes and dressing up so that she could leave. She hadn’t planned on staying the night, but he’d been so persuasive that she couldn’t say no. When she was done, she tiptoed back to the bed to kiss him gently on the cheek.

“Saranghae,” she whispered, and she left his apartment.

Yun Ho woke up sometime later to an empty bed. He touched the spot on the pillow where her head lay on, and he smiled. She wasn’t there to wake up with him, as usual, because she had to rush to work, but he knew she would be here tonight. Ever since they’d gotten together, she came over often to clean and cook. He’d given her a key, but he was careful not to bring home any work. He just didn’t feel comfortable sharing the pains of his work with her, even though he knew that she wasn’t likely to betray him like Jin Yi did.

“U-Know,” his team greeted him as he walked into their cubicle area.

Since his days as a trainee at the academy, everyone had taken to calling him U-Know. It was like his code name for when he was on the job. When off-duty, he was Jung Yun Ho, and that’s how he wanted Sierra to see him. With Jin Yi, he’d often glorified himself by allowing her to see him as a whole; the law enforcer, and the man. With Sierra, he wanted her to only see him as the man she was with. The problem was that she had mentioned a few times that she wanted to know more.

Their relationship was strained even further when Yun Ho was put on a huge case, the case that would bring down Gyu Ok, and Akma along with him. Yun Ho would work late into the night, sometimes not returning home for 2 to 3 days in a row. Sierra would keep calling him on the phone, bring his dinner to his office and she continued to keep his house for him.

“You don’t have to bring me dinner,” he said, one day, after a round of teasing from his teammates.

“You need to eat,” she said simply.

“We have a cafeteria here,” he protested.

“The food’s unhealthy. You need your strength. I want you to be able to come home in one piece when this case is over.”

“What do you know about the case?” he asked her.

“Basically nothing, since you never tell me anything. All I know is that this must be big for you to not come home for days,” she said.

“You know I don’t like talking about my work at home,” he said.

“I know. It’s your choice and this is mine. Now eat,” she said as she placed a bowl of rice in front of him.

How long can I keep this up? I never know what is bothering him. I never know what he’s going through. Is this a relationship when you don’t share anything but the same bed?

There were nights when she would hear him call out Jin Yi’s name in his dreams. She knew that he could not forget her. Because Jin Yi had stolen his heart and betrayed him, Yun Ho could never let her memory go.

Weeks later, and Yun Ho was still busy with the Gyu Ok-Akma case. Sierra let herself into his apartment to clean as usual. Sometime ago, while cleaning his cupboards, she’d come across a box, a box filled with Jin Yi’s belongings. She’d ignored the box every time she cleaned, but today, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. She knew that she shouldn’t pry, but she wanted to know more about Jin Yi. Could she really be the cold-hearted assassin that Yun Ho had painted in her mind?

She picked up a photo album, inside were pictures of Yun Ho and Jin Yi. It was still rather shocking to know that there was a person of her exact likeness. Apart from their hairstyle, they looked exactly alike. Did Yun Ho really want to replace Jin Yi with her just because they looked alike? She put the album back into the box and reached for the next item she saw, a book… a diary.

Should I read it?

She really wanted to know what went on inside Jin Yi’s head. How did she manage bring herself to attempt to kill the man she supposedly loved.

Tuesday
Gyu Ok called today. He said I had to finish Yun Ho off this week. I told him it wasn’t time yet and that I could get more information out of Yun Ho that would benefit the gang. I was buying time for me, buying time for Yun Ho, and thank god, Gyu Ok agreed. 1 more month… I had 1 more month with him.

Thursday
Gyu Ok called again. He said that Yun Ho’s team was closing in on him. He told me to act now. I asked him for 2 days. I knew that Yun Ho’s team was going to ambush them then… it would be the best day for me to make my move.
Tears rolled off Sierra’s cheeks onto the diary as she read Jin Yi’s last entry, and she quickly dabbed the page with the edge of her blouse. It was apparent that Yun Ho had never read Jin Yi’s diary, despite having it in his possession. She had to show it to him.

Yun Ho came home, elated that day. They’d finally nailed Gyu Ok. It would be a matter of days before Akma was history. As he entered the apartment, he realized that the atmosphere was different. Sierra wasn’t around?

“Sierra,” he called out, and there was no reply.

For once he felt strangely alone. Sometimes he found the attention she gave him to be taxing and sometimes he was grateful for it. Today, he wanted to share his joy with her, and she wasn’t around. Could it be because of the argument they had the yesterday? She’d always come around when they argued. It was unlike her to stay away just because they argued.

He’d come home highly-strung yesterday, since the next day would be a crucial day for him. She’d confronted him with Jin Yi’s diary, and he was upset that she had gone through his stuff.

“You have to read it, Yun Ho. Have you read it?” she asked him.

“Of course I have. The first few pages told me all I needed to know. She was out to kill me,” he retorted.

“You mean you didn’t read till the end?” she asked him.

“How could I? The beginning was bad enough.”

At first, he didn’t understand why her belongings were sent to him. After her admission, before she died, that she never loved him, he’d wanted to erase her from his mind. Then a few weeks after her funeral, which he had arranged, someone sent a box of her belongings to his apartment. He’d read the diary, and after the first 5 pages, he tossed it aside as he was overwhelmed by feelings of sickness. He had been played all along; for 6 months. Even though at that point, he hated Jin Yi, he couldn’t bear to throw her things out, so he stuffed them in a corner of his apartment, where it was forgotten, until Sierra brought it out.

“Why are you going through my stuff anyway?” he asked her.

“I was cleaning,” she said.

“You were snooping around?” he asked as he walked up to her.

“Yun Ho… I’m not Jin Yi. I don’t care about your case or what you do at work. I only care about you as a person, and if you read her diary, you will know that she cared about you too.”

“Lies… all lies,” he said as he shook his head. “I opened myself to her, and she betrayed me. How can she care about me? I almost lost my career and life because of her.”

“Just read it, Yun Ho! Read it from cover to cover,” she pleaded.

“You’re wasting your time. She was just a coldhearted bitch out to get me. Why do you care what I think about her? You should be on my side,” he said in frustration.

“You’re so stubborn,” Sierra raised her voice at him. “No wonder she had to die like this!”

“You don’t know anything!” he yelled back at her. “You’ll never know how it feels.”

“What?”

“You’re not in my position. You would never understand!”

“I do now,” she said, tears glistening in her eyes, and she turned and left the apartment.

Have I lost her too?

He walked through his apartment, taking in the surroundings. He hadn’t realized how orderly everything was now. Jin Yi wasn’t really a housekeeper, and the both of them had lived in each other’s mess. Sierra was always neat and tidy. She put a lot of time into cleaning his apartment and decorating it. It was only now that he was able to appreciate her existence in his life. She had been there, taking care of him for the past few months, when he had lived in cynicism and despair for the year before he met her.

He walked up to his desk, and he saw Jin Yi’s diary sitting on it; a piece of paper was slipped between it, to mark a page.

She just wouldn’t give up, will she?

Yun Ho sat down at the table, opened the book and removed the paper it held.

Yun Ho… I know this is hard for you, but you have to trust me. Please read this page. It’s really important.

He sighed as he felt the pressure of her persistence. If it was going to make her happy, once and for all, he’ll read it.

Friday
Tomorrow… I have one more day. We’re lazing around at home tonight, watching TV, tossing popcorn around. Today, everything about him was beautiful to me; his laughter, his smile, his voice. I wanted to remember them forever. I want them imprinted in my mind so that in my next life, I’d be able to find him, wherever I am.

Saturday
Tonight… tonight I have to kill him. But how do you kill someone who is already a part of you without killing yourself? I love him. It’s too late now, and I love him.
Because I love him… it will be my life for his.
A single tear rolled down Yun Ho’s cheek. He now realized that she’d loved him all along, and that she knew that if she didn’t die, Gyu Ok would probably just send another assassin.

Jin Yi… mianhae… you really fooled me. How could I believe that the time we had together was a charade? Those feelings were real… I was such a fool, and now I have lost another person who cared for me…

He cried. It’s been a long time since he felt like this. Even when Jin Yi died, he didn’t cry. He just hardened his heart and moved on. Now he was sobbing; for the love he had doubted and the love he hadn’t appreciated.

Just when he thought he’d lost everything, a pair of arms came to envelope him in a hug. He turned around and he’d never felt more thankful in his life when he saw who it was.

“Uljima,” Sierra said as she wiped his tears.

“Mianhae,” he whispered. “Cheongmal mianhae.”

“It’s alright,” she said as she stroked his hair.

“I thought you’d gone for good,” he said as he hugged her tightly around the waist, burying his face against her belly.

“Pabo… how can I leave you? I love you too much to abandon you,” she smiled as he looked up at her.

She was smiling, but there were tears running down her cheeks.

“Komawo…” he whispered, “for sticking by me.”

“Just remember that we both love you. She loved you, and I love you. You’re really lucky to have us both, you know,” she said.

He stood up and his hands came to stroke her cheek, to wipe her tears.

“I am, Sierra… I am… Mianhae… Saranghae,” he said, and he kissed her.

It felt like an eternity since he’d frozen his heart to everyone, and then she came along. The ice had now melted, his pain would soon heal, and he would learn to love and trust again.

Ice Box ~ Part One

2007-05-19T18:38:00.000+08:00

This is the first time I'm writing a short story featuring Yun Ho ^_^ Dunno what took me so long, since I love him almost as much as I love Jae... He's actually my first love :) This fiction is inspired by the idea of an MV which will be featured in MKR in the coming chapters, so remember to look out for it on MKR...

Btw, this will be a 2 shot... here's part 1....

Characters

Yun Ho (TVXQ)

Jin Yi

Sierra

Jung Su aka Ee Teuk (Super Junior)

Ice Box ~ Part One

They stood face to face, guns held out, ready to pull the trigger.

“You’re really gonna kill me, aren’t you?” he asked her.

“That was my assignment, and I will finish it tonight,” she replied coolly.

“After all these months, you don’t feel anything for me? We can turn back. You don’t have to do this. No one has to get hurt,” he tried to reason with her.

“Cut the crap, Yun Ho,” she bit out. “It’s either you or me. Let’s end this.”

He sighed in frustration. This was it, kill or be killed. Even with the emotional battle raging in his head, he had his eye on her, on her gun, waiting for her move. It was what he’d been trained for, and he did it automatically, after years of experience in the field.

“Hana!” she shouted, starting the count to the moment of truth.

“Dul,” he said, quietly.

“Set,” she ended, and they both pulled the trigger.

He’d wanted to close his eyes when the gunshots rang, but he’d never been one to do that since his job required him to keep his eyes open at all times. Even when faced with killing someone he cared for, he couldn’t get himself to do it. He watched as the bullet hit her squarely in the chest, and she fell back. She’d missed him. It was bizarre how everything happened in a split second, but it looked like it was playing in slow motion in front of him.

“Jin Yi!” he shouted, at the realization of what had just happened, and he ran towards her.

For once, he let his emotions overcome him. He dropped his gun and picked her up in his arms.

“Good shot,” she said weakly, as she smiled at him.

“Jin Yi,” his voice quavered. “Why did it have to be you?”

“It’s just fate,” she coughed, blood dripping from her lips. “I happened to be assigned to get rid of you. End of story.”

“Did you ever love me?” he asked her plainly. “For all these months… tell me that you did love me.”

“I wish I did,” was her reply.

1 year later…

“How have you been?” Yun Ho said, as he placed the bouquet of flowers down, and he sat down on the grass and leaned against the tombstone. “How time flies…” he murmured to himself as he breathed in the fresh air, and looked around him.

It’s been a year since he killed Jin Yi. He had never imagined that she would be an assassin sent by Gyu Ok, the head of Akma, one of the most notorious gangs in Seoul. Her objective had been to get close to him, dig up secrets and eventually kill him. Yun Ho was the leader of the most successful op-team on the police force. Gyu Ok had sent Jin Yi to kill him because of his team’s success in cracking down on most of Gyu Ok’s gang’s illegal operations. The circumstances that they’d met in were so coincidental, that he never had a second thought that she had a hidden agenda to get close to him.

It was a night out with the guys on his team; they were at the noraebang, celebrating their success in their latest assignment. He was in the toilet, relieving himself, when the door burst open suddenly, and a girl walked in, swaying precariously on her high heels.

“Agasshi,” he protested, immediately zipping up his pants. “This is the men’s room.”

“Molla,” she mumbled as she knelt down at the nearest toilet and started to vomit.

He watched her retch into the toilet bowl; her long hair was all over the place as she tried unsuccessfully to get it out of the way as she vomited. He sighed and walked towards her. He squatted next to her and pulled her hair back, holding it up for her.

“Komawo,” she said when she was finally done.

She sat down on the floor and leant her back against the wall of the stall. He handed her a tissue after she’d rinsed her mouth and she wiped her lips hastily before digging through her bag for a cigarette.

“Want one,” she asked him, and he accepted a cigarette from her.

He flipped down the toilet seat and sat on it, while she continued to sit on the floor.

“Do you always barge into the men’s room like this?” he asked her as he exhaled and allowed the smoke to fill the stall.

“The waiter outside tipped me off. He told me there was a nice guy who’d hold my hair while I puked, so I came in here. None of those bitches next door would hold my hair up for me. They’d probably just spit on me,” she laughed.

He laughed at her response, and immediately felt a strong liking for her.

“So why did you have too much to drink?” he asked her, holding the cigarette lightly between his lips while he fished his pockets for his phone.

“Men troubles, why else,” she said as she puffed more smoke into the air. “Your girlfriend calling?” she asked as she watched him read the message on his phone.

“Nah. Just my buddies,” he replied.

“No girlfriend waiting for you at home?” she asked him.

“Nope. No girl ever wants to wait for me,” he said, and she could detect the cynicism in his voice.

“Can I go home with you?” she asked him.

He was a little taken aback at her request, even though this wasn’t the first time any girl had asked him that. He looked her up and down and only now did he realize… she wasn’t trashy at all. She was dressed in a nice office suit, she carried an expensive bag and she wore some really nice shoes. He knew how much they’d cost, because they looked like the brands he’d seen on the wives of father’s business associates. He’d been born to a rich family, but decided to join the police force. His father had been against it as first, but as he gained more and more success, his father had relented and was actually starting to be proud of him.

“Sure,” he replied, and he stood up.

“Help me up?” she said, and she held her hand out to him.

He pulled her up into his arms effortlessly, and because he’d underestimated how heavy she actually was, the force of his action caused her to slam against him, pushing him against the wall of the stall. She giggled when she saw his expression, his shock at the impact of his body colliding onto the wall, and her body colliding onto his.

“Pabo,” she said softly, and she stood on her toes so that their lips met.

She kissed him lightly, and only for a second, but that mere second helped him decide that he wanted her tonight. It’s been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and here was one who was asking for it. He pulled her close and kissed her back, and was pleased when she returned his kiss.

They stumbled into his apartment that night, kissing fervently and stripping each other anxiously. The drive back to the apartment had been crazy. All the way back to the apartment, she had her hand on his thigh, and she was doing things that made him feel things he’d not felt in a long time.

The next morning, she woke up slowly, and turned to look at the man who lay beside her. His photo did not do him justice. He was even hotter in person. Last night had been better than she expected. She had thought that she would probably have to spend months in the company of a lousy lover, while plotting to kill him. But he turned out to be great and the next few months are probably going to be fun for her.

“Annyeong,” he smiled as he woke up, and stretched lazily beside her.

She moved nearer to him and slowly climbed on top of him, then she leant down until her lips were at his ears.

“Round two,” she whispered seductively, and nipped his earlobe lightly.

More than 6 months later, they stood face to face, at gun point. He hadn’t believed it when the reports came in. The mole who’d been causing the operations of his teams to be detected by Akma was actually Jin Yi. His fears were confirmed when she showed up at the location of their crackdown on Akma that night.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked her.

She’d showed up as his team chased down some members of the gang.

“Who else knows better, but me,” she smiled as she pulled out her gun.

He still couldn’t believe that he’d killed someone he loved. Did he love her? He did... and what hurt him most was that she didn’t love him. For the first time in his life, he opened up to someone and she burnt him. His job had made him wary of all those who got close to him, and when he let down his guard for once, he was severely disappointed.

“I hope you’re happy,” he said as he ran a finger down the photo on her tombstone. “What a mess you’ve made of me now.”

He stood up slowly and dusted off his suit, and walked leisurely away from her tomb, onto the stairway up the hill where his car was parked. He looked up and the sun blinded his eye for a moment. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, there she was.

“Jin Yi?” the name escaped his lips.

She was walking down the same stair he was on. She wore a white sundress, and she was holding a bouquet of lilies.

“Jin Yi,” he said, and he grabbed her arm as she walked past.

She turned and looked at him, obviously startled.

“Ajeosshi… please let go of me,” she said.

He continued to stare at her, not releasing his grasp.

Ajeosshi? She called me ajeosshi? But she looks exactly like Jin Yi. She must be Jin Yi!

Mandu-yaaa!!!

2007-04-21T19:18:00.000+08:00

For Mandu... who has been bugging me for this.

Characters:
Jun Su (TVXQ)
Mandy aka Mandu

Mandu-yaaa!!! You are my honey... ^_^

“Mandu!!!” he yelled as he threw a book at Mandy’s head.

“Ow!! Oppa!” she groaned whilst rubbing her head. “Are you mad?”

“Stop falling asleep!” he said as he poked her head with his index finger.

“I can’t help it,” she said as she laid the upper half of her body down on the table before her. “It’s this afternoon sun. It makes me so sleepy. Don’t you feel sleepy? Can we have a siesta?”

“Yah! You think you’re in Italy? Siesta!” he said and thwacked her on the back of her head with the long ruler. “You’d better start studying or your mother’s going to fire me.”

For the past 3 months, Jun Su had been Mandy’s tutor and though he was mostly a nice and sweet guy, he’d get a little violent when Mandy didn’t pay attention.

“Mandu!” he shouted again as Mandy once again dozed off.

“Geez,” she mumbled as she scratched her head. “I’m awake! Let me go wash my face,” she grumbled as she got up and walked out of the room.

“That mandu,” Jun Su grumbled to himself.

She didn’t look like a mandu at all, but he’d taken to calling her that because it had annoyed her at first. By now, she’d gotten used to it, and it had become his pet name for her. She wasn’t stupid at all, but she was definitely lazy; a pain to tutor. Jun Su lay on the floor and stretched leisurely. That’s when a pair of hands reached out to tickle his armpits.

“Yah!!” he yelled and jumped up.

“Gotcha!” Mandy laughed as she sat down at the table.

“I’m sweaty and dirty. I hadn’t showered since I left school. Your fingers probably stink now.”

“Really?” Mandy said and she sniffed them.

“Eww!!” Jun Su exclaimed in disgust, but laughed anyway.

Mandy could be so weird and quirky, but sometimes, you just had to laugh at her.

“Oppa… sing me a song,” Mandy said.

“What for?”

“I’m bored.”

“No way… you don’t deserve it,” he said as he flipped open a textbook.

“Come on,” she pleaded. “After you sing, I promise to study hard for the next 2 hours.”

“You’re always lying. You’re just gonna fall asleep again within minutes.”

“Please, oppa, please,” Mandy continued to plead and Jun Su just sighed.

“Lately I have had the strangest feelings…” he sang, and Mandy listened and looked on as he did.

‘Jun Su oppa is so talented,’ she sighed to herself. ‘It’s a waste that he’s not a singer.’

Jun Su loved to sing, but it was his past time since his first love was soccer. During the weekends, Mandy would go to the field where he played with his friends to cheer him on and it was during one fateful weekend, when the oddest thing happened.

She was walking towards the field where Jun Su usually played soccer. She was late today because she had a school project to finish. As she approached the field, she waved at Jun Su who was running towards the goal post to intercept the ball from his friend. Because she’d distracted him, he didn’t see where he was going and ran straight into the goal post.

“Oppa!” Mandy screamed as she ran towards him.

The boys crowded around Jun Su and Mandy had to squeeze through to get to him.

“Come on, guys!” she yelled. “Move aside! Give him some air!”

The boys moved away a little, but still huddled around. Mandy pushed Jun Su’s hair away from his forehead and found a huge bruise.

“Oppa,” she said as she shook him gently. “Wake up!”

She kept at it, not knowing what to do, and about 2 minutes later, his eyes fluttered open.

“Oppa!” she exclaimed and hugged him.

“Ow!” he exclaimed, and started coughing.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

“I’m fine, let’s go,” he said as he stood up quickly.

“Are you sure you can walk?” she said as he swayed a little.

“Sure I can, honey,” he said.

“Honey?” Mandy exclaimed. “Who’s Honey?”

“Aren’t you my honey?” he said as they walked away from the field.

“Oppa… have you gone mad? Did you hit your head so hard that you can’t remember my name?”

“You’re Mandy, right?” he laughed.

“Yes,” she sighed in relief.

“And you’re my honey,” he added.

Mandy felt like fainting. She could not understand why he kept going on and on about her being his honey.

“Oppa… since when we were dating?”

“Hasn’t it been 3 months?” he said as he scratched his head.

“You’ve been tutoring me for 3 months. Not dating.”

“I have?” he said, puzzled. “I could’ve sworn we were dating,” he giggled.

‘Great,’ Mandy groaned inwardly. ‘Now he’s getting all sissy too.’

“Oppa! We’re not dating,” she said sternly.

“Really? Then why do I remember us doing this,” he said, and he kissed her.

‘Omigod! Omigod!’ Mandy squealed in her mind. ‘He’s kissing me! Why is he kissing me? But… it feels good.’

And since it felt good, she just closed her eyes and stood still as he continued to kiss her.

“Remember now?” he asked her, and she shook her head. “Then should I do it again?” he said, and pulled her in for another kiss before she could move away.

That night, Mandy lay in bed and thought about Jun Su’s kisses. She was not prepared for anything like this, ever. They were her first kisses, and he just took them like that. Not that she minded. Honestly, she had been crushing on him since the day he started tutoring her.

‘Does that mean we’re dating now?’ she sighed happily.

The next day, Mandy waited eagerly for Jun Su to show up for their tutorial session.

“Oppa!” she exclaimed and hugged him as he walked through the door.

“Yah!” he exclaimed and shrugged her off. “What’s gotten into you? You want me fired?”

“But yesterday…” her lips trembled.

“What happened yesterday?” he said.

“You don’t remember?”

“No.”

“At the soccer field.”

“Yea, I played soccer. Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

“I did!” she exclaimed.

“I didn’t see you,” he said.

“What?” she yelled.

“Shhh… keep your voice down,” he said. “Your mother will hear.”

“She isn’t home!” she yelled. “You kissed me yesterday!”

“What?” he exclaimed. His eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets in shock.

“And you called me your honey!”

“I did? Must have been someone else. I didn’t see you yesterday,” he said.

“It was you! It was you!” Mandy said, stomping her feet.

“No it wasn’t!” he replied, crossing his arms. “I played soccer and went home straight after that yesterday since you didn’t show up.”

“How can you pretend nothing happened, oppa!” Mandy wailed, her eyes starting to tear. “It was my first kiss.”

“Really?”

“It was my first kiss,” she started crying.

That was when Jun Su hugged her.

“I’m sorry mandu,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t cry.”

“But you don’t remember,” she sobbed.

“I do… I do… I’m sorry. I was just teasing you yesterday, and today.”

“What?” she exclaimed as she pulled away from him, roughly.

“I just kinda realized that I liked you, and I didn’t know how to tell you. So…”

“What?!” she exclaimed louder this time.

“It was a spur of the moment decision. I didn’t plan it,” he said.

And then… she slapped him.

“Mandu,” he said softly, visible shocked.

“I never want to see you again,” she shouted at him and ran to her room, slamming the door as she went in.

‘What a mess I’ve made,’ Jun Su sighed as he rubbed his cheek.

He’d not thought it through before he pulled that little stunt yesterday. After last night, he thought that it was best he pretended it never happen. But then Mandy started crying, and he realized he’d hurt her. She must like him too. How was he going to fix this now?

“Mandu,” Jun Su called out as he knocked on her door.

“Go away,” came a muffled shout.

“I’m sorry. I was a jerk. Nan pabo-ya… please come out,” he pleaded. “I really do like you, Mandy. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Go away,” she repeated and threw book at the door, creating a loud thud that made Jun Su jump.

‘She sure is scary when she’s mad,’ he shook his head. ‘What do I do now?’

Then, Jun Su had an idea. He ran out of the apartment to the tree that stood outside Mandy’s window and started climbing it.

“Mandu-yaa!!!” he shouted when he came up to her window, and her head popped up.

“Oppa! Are you crazy?” she yelled.

Her face was stained with her tears, and her hair was messed up from burying her head under the pillow while crying.

“No. You look crazy, though,” he laughed as he made himself comfortable on a branch.

“Haha,” she laughed sarcastically. “Get down. It’s dangerous.”

“Would you let me in if I got down?”

“No,” she said, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Then I’ll just stay here.”

“Get down,” she yelled.

“Stop yelling,” he yelled back.

“I’ll yell if I want to,” she said.

“Then I’ll sit here if I want to,” he said.

“Aisshii,” Mandy exclaimed.

“Are you gonna forgive me?” he asked her.

“Why should I? You’re a pervert!”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that yesterday. It was low, but I really do have feelings for you, Mandy,” he said.

“Paramdung-i,” she said.

“I’m not. How can I prove it to you?”

“I don’t know,” she said, and then there was a long moment of silence.

“I wanna hold you,” Jun Su started singing, “hona ne mami anun god, chama duryowo na gamchuryo hedon mal, ije naui saram anirago, tonaryonun saram buthjabjido mallago..”

Mandy looked up and found Jun Su looking at her intently as he sang. He rarely sang for her spontaneously. She always had to ask him to sing for her. Was it his way of showing that he really likes her?

Suddenly, the both of them heard a cracking sound. In the split second, the branch Jun Su was sitting on broke off and he fell straight to the ground with it.

“Oppa!” Mandy screamed in horror.

The paramedics arrived within half an hour and moved Jun Su into the ambulance on a stretcher. He didn’t break any bones, thanks to a freshly ploughed flower bed below the tree, but would still need to go to the hospital for a checkup.

“Mandu-yaa,” he said before they closed the door of the ambulance. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she replied.

“Really? Then when I come back…” he started and hesitated for a moment.

“Yea… what?”

“Will you be my honey, for real?” he smiled.

She smiled. She’d have to give it to him. He was really persistent, even when on a stretcher.

“Araso,” she laughed. “No more climbing trees okay?”

“Araso,” he laughed, and let out his famous dolphin cry.

To Catch A Fish

2007-02-15T00:02:00.001+08:00

To all my readers, to all Asterians, and to all lovers…

Happy Valentine’s Day…

Characters:

Nicole

Dong Hae (Super Junior)

Jessica Jung

Ying

10 years ago...

“Fishie!” Nicole gurgled as she pointed at a boy on the swing in the playground.

“No dear,” Nicole’s mother said. “That’s a boy, and you should call him oppa.”

“Fishie oppa?” Nicole said, confused.

“Aniyo… oppa, not fishie oppa,” her mother explained patiently.

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole exclaimed as she ran towards the boy and knocked him off the swing.

“Aishii,” the boy exclaimed as he dusted off his butt. “Kwaench’ana?” he said as he helped Nicole up.

“Choesonghamnida,” Nicole’s mother said as she approached him.

“It’s alright,” the boy smiled. “Hey there, what’s your name?” he asked Nicole.

“Her name’s Nicole,” Nicole’s mother said.

“Nicole!” Nicole exclaimed. “Fishie oppa,” she said and she hugged the boy by the legs.

“Fishie oppa?” the boy said, sounding confused.

“She’s only four,” Nicole’s mother explained. “I don’t know why she keeps insisting you are fishie oppa,” she laughed.

“I guess I’m a fish in her mind,” he smiled. “Hey, Nicole,” he said as he squatted down so that he came face to face with her. “My name’s Dong Hae, and I’m 11 years old.”

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole said and gave him a big, wet smack of a kiss on his lips.

He was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed.

“Can I play with her on the swings?” he asked Nicole’s mother.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Go ahead.”

From that day on, Nicole and Dong Hae met at the playground each week, and Dong Hae would push her on the swings for the whole time.

******

“Fishie oppa!” Nicole yelled as she opened the door.

“Hey!” Dong Hae smiled as he walked in and gave her a hug.

“Oppa! Did you miss me? Did you buy me a present?”

“I went to college, not for a vacation,” he laughed.

“Still… we haven’t seen each other for so long. You must’ve brought me a present.”

“I didn’t exactly bring you a present, but there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Dong Hae said, and a girl stepped out from behind him.

“Annyeong,” she smiled. “Jessica-imnida.”

“Nicole,” Dong Hae said. “Meet my girlfriend.”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Jessica said. “Dong Hae has told me so much about you. You’re like his very own little sister.”

Nicole stared at the couple, the blood draining from her face. A girlfriend! Her oppa got himself a girlfriend? Why did she feel like someone had stabbed her in the heart? It then dawned on her that from the day they’d met, she’d fallen in love with him. She looked back and forth between her oppa and his girlfriend. Why hadn’t she known how she’d felt sooner? What was she going to do about this now?

Nicole moped around in her room after Dong Hae and Jessica had left. All these years, she’d never really thought about how she felt about her oppa. And now it hit her… she’d always thought he belonged to her. He was her oppa for all these years, and she’d taken for granted that he felt the same way about her. Did he really think of her as a sister, nothing more?

“Oppa!!!” Nicole wailed, and she started crying.

She’d lost her oppa to some girl… she should’ve realized sooner, she should’ve made sure he knew how she felt. Now she was too late. He was now someone else’s boyfriend, and just a brother to her. Nicole looked at their photo in the huge photo frame beside her bed. It was of them when Nicole was about 6 years old, and Dong Hae was pushing her on the swing.

Whenever she was feeling down, she’d always call Dong Hae and ask to meet him at the playground. When they were there, he’d push her on the swing while she told him about her problems. And when he had a problem, he’d tell her everything while pushing her on the swing. Throughout his high school years, he’d never talked about having a girlfriend, and Nicole had never felt that anyone would threaten her relationship with her fishie oppa. Now that he was far away, in college, he’d found someone to replace her?

“You’re very quiet,” Jessica said as she and Dong Hae walked away from Nicole’s house.

“Huh?” he said as he looked at her with a confused expression.

Dong Hae had always been talking about this Nicole; how they’d sort of grown up together, how she was such a good friend and all, and it always made her wonder if she could measure up to Nicole. It was only when Dong Hae said that Nicole was like his sister that Jessica was able to have her mind at peace. So this Nicole was just a sister to him. But the look on her face when Dong Hae announced that Jessica was his girlfriend told Jessica that Nicole felt more than that for Dong Hae. Was Dong Hae able to read Nicole’s expression like she did? Probably not, since guys are pretty dense in that department.

“Where are we going?” Jessica smiled as she linked her arms with Dong Hae.

“Anywhere you want,” he said, absent-mindedly.

Dong Hae was still thinking about Nicole’s expression from earlier. She looked hurt. He’d thought that Nicole would be happy that he’d found himself a girlfriend. She was always telling him that he acted like a monk and that he should date. Why did she have that expression then?

“Ying…” Nicole wailed over the phone.

“What’s up Nicole?” Ying said. She could sense that Nicole was about to have some kind of meltdown.

“My fishie oppa got himself a girlfriend!” she said, and started crying again.

“What? I thought you guys were like together since you were 4?” Ying said.

“Well… we’ve never officially said we were dating. We were just… there… there for each other.”

“Then you can’t blame him for getting a girlfriend,” Ying said. “Stop crying.”

“But I always thought that he’d ask me someday,” she sniffed.

“Nicole… you have to tell him. Guys are dense. You need to tell it to his face that you like him.”

“What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“It’s just a risk you have to take. You do it, or lose him to that girl forever and ever.”

“How do I do it?”

“Does he really meet you whenever you ask? No matter what he’s doing?”

“Yea… when he’s back here from college.”

“Good… get him to meet you on Valentine’s Day… then tell him how you feel.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Nicole… it’s do or die. You want to keep him, you need to try.”

“Fine…” Nicole sighed. “But I need your help. What should I wear?”

And the rest of the conversation was spent plotting how Nicole would win her fishie oppa back from Jessica.

On Valentine’s Day…

Dong Hae was having dinner with Jessica at a nice, romantic Italian restaurant. He’d picked her up earlier from her house and given her a bouquet of roses and a fluffy teddy bear.

“Komawo,” she smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.

Dong Hae had felt happy at that moment, but somehow, he felt something was missing. Up till now, he couldn’t figure it out.

“This pasta is delicious,” Jessica exclaimed as she ate. “Try it,” she said as she held a forkful of it at Dong Hae.

He leaned forward and ate off the fork. It was delicious, but Dong Hae didn’t really taste it. His mind was occupied with thoughts. Thoughts he’d not thought of for a long time, since before he’d left for college. He was at the playground with Nicole on the night before he left for the college in Seoul.

“I’m gonna be so lonely without you,” he’d said to Nicole.

For the past few days, he’d been thinking about how life would be without Nicole, how he would survive life in college without her being there for him all the time. It didn’t seem like a pretty picture to look forward to.

“You can always get yourself a girlfriend,” Nicole had laughed. “You’re almost 20, oppa! Get a life!”

He’d actually felt a bit lost when she said that. In his mind, she was the only girl he’d ever known and the only girl he was comfortable with. Could he really replace her with someone else?

He looked at Jessica who sat across him, smiling sweetly. She was beautiful and she was a cool girl to date, but somehow, there was something missing. He didn’t feel as connected with her as he was with Nicole. Just then, his cell phone rang. He looked at the screen and Nicole’s photo, the one where she was pointing her middle finger, flashed on it. She’d taken the photo sometimes ago and insisted that he used it.

“Nicole?” he said, as soon as he answered.

“Fishie oppa,” Nicole said. “I need to see you.”

“What’s wrong Nicole?” he asked. She sounded nervous. Was she in some kind of trouble?

“I just need to see you. Can you meet me at the playground? I’ll leave my house now.”

“I’m in the middle of dinner, Nicole,” Dong Hae explained. Jessica was starting to look at him with an odd expression. It almost looked as if she was pissed off.

“Please fishie oppa,” Nicole said pleadingly, and he could never say no to her when she sounded like that.

“Okay…” he sighed. “I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

“Komawo,” Nicole said.

“Was that Nicole?” Jessica asked as soon as Dong Hae hung up.

“Yea. I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

“Go where? To meet her?” Jessica asked.

“Yea… I think she’s troubled or something. I’ll make this up to you another day, okay?”

Jessica was livid. Not only did Dong Hae talk about Nicole incessantly each time they were together, now he was leaving her alone on Valentine’s Day for Nicole?

“Dong Hae, I think you need to decide now,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.

“Decide what?”

“Who are you dating?” she almost screamed at him. “Me or Nicole?”

“I told you, Nicole’s like a sister to me,” Dong Hae said.

“Don’t give me that load of baloney! You don’t need to run to your sister whenever she calls. She’s not even your real sister.”

“She’s only 14, Jessica.”

“But you have to admit that you feel something for her,” Jessica pointed out.

“I…” Dong Hae started, but he couldn’t continue.

He realised that this was probably why he’d never felt complete with Jessica. He needed Nicole.

“Well?” Jessica said.

“I’m sorry Jessica, I guess it’s really Nicole I needed all along,” he said.

“What?” Jessica said, aghast.

“Mianhae, cheongmal mianhae,” he said as he got up from his chair.

“Dong Hae… if you leave now, I don’t ever want to see you again,” Jessica threatened.

“Then I guess its good bye forever,” he said, and he turned to leave.

“Dong Hae!” Jessica exclaimed.

She was shocked. She hadn’t expected him to really leave. She’d actually thought she meant something to him. She slumped back into her chair, feeling lost and defeated. All those months of trying to win Dong Hae’s heart, and in the end, it had belonged to that child, that 14 year old, right from the beginning. She stared at the bowl of pasta before her for the longest time, pondering. What did she do wrong this time? She’d never lost a guy like that. She was the one who called the shots most of the time. In a fit of frustration, she started eating, and she ate until she'd finished all the food on the table.

Dong Hae rushed out of the restaurant as soon as he paid the bill. Nicole was probably already waiting for him. How was he going to tell her now? Would she feel the same for him? He felt excited and afraid as he jogged towards the playground where she waited, but he felt happy that he now knew where his heart belonged.

“How do I look?” Nicole asked Ying, who was at her house, helping her prepare for her meeting with Dong Hae.

“The perfect bait,” Ying smiled.

“Bait?”

“Don’t you call him fishie oppa? If he’s a fish, then you’re fish bait, since you want to catch a fish, don’t you?” Ying laughed.

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” Nicole laughed. “Well, I’d better go now. Oppa’s waiting.”

“Okay. Good luck!” Ying said as she hugged Nicole.

“Thanks! I hope I catch my fish,” she laughed nervously.

When she approached the playground, Dong Hae was already there, sitting on the swing, moving back and forth slowly. When he heard her footsteps, he looked up and smiled at her. He’d never looked more handsome to her than now.

“Hey…” he said, and she sat down in the swing next to him.

“Thanks for coming,” she said.

“I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. It’s programmed in me,” he laughed softly.

“Push me?” she said, and he got up and started to push her slowly on the swing.

“Higher?” he asked.

“Yea! I want to touch the sky,” she said, and he pushed her harder.

They carried on like this for the next few minutes, until Dong Hae arms felt tired. That was when he slowed the swing to a stop.

“You’re tired?” she said, as she arched her back to look up at his face.

“Yea,” he said, and there was an awkward silence.

“Oppa…” Nicole said, breaking the silence.

“Nicole,” he cut her off. “Before you say anything, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” she asked him.

“Nicole… saranghae,” he said. He was standing behind her as she sat on the swing, and she almost fell off when he said that.

“Mwo?” she said as she regained her balance.

“I love you,” he said as he came to kneel on one knee in front of her.

“Oppa…” Nicole said, her voice shaking. “Since when…”

“Since always,” he said. “I just never did anything about it.”

“Wow…” she said, softly.

“So what is it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

“Huh?” she said, still dazed from his confession. She’d come here to catch her fish, and in the end, she felt that it was she who was caught now.

“You said you had something important talk to me about,” he said.

“Oh… that,” she said. “Actually, I was gonna tell you the same thing.”

“The same thing?”

“Na tto saranghae,” she smiled.

“Chintchayo?”

“Chintcha,” she replied.

“And all this time, you didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t think you’d get yourself a girlfriend. I’d always thought that you were mine,” she smiled sheepishly.

“I am yours,” he chuckled.

“Oppa…” she exclaimed with joy, and put her arms around him.

“Saranghae,” he whispered into her hair as he hugged her back.

“Saranghae,” she said to him, as she pulled away to face him.

Dong Hae cupped her face in his hands, and he kissed her softly on the lips.

“Now you’re mine too,” he said when he pulled away.

“You know… technically, I was yours since the first day we met,” she said.

“Really?”

“Have you forgotten the kiss I gave you the first time we met?”

“Oh… that kiss,” he smiled. “Then I guess I can skip all the formalities,” he laughed.

“Formalities?” she said, puzzled.

“Yea… I can just kiss you whenever I want then,” he winked and he leaned in to kiss her again.

Hours later, Dong Hae asked Nicole a question that had been burning in his mind for the last 10 years.

“Nicole,” he said.

“Hmm?” she replied.

“Why do you call me fishie?”

Nicole looked at him and smiled mysteriously.

“I’ll tell you next year, on Valentine’s Day.”

“Okay,” Dong Hae laughed.

He wasn’t in a hurry to know, and if he needed a lifetime with her to find the answers to his questions, then so be it. He didn’t mind being a fish, for as long as he was her fish.

Twisted (No More)

2007-02-06T21:13:00.000+08:00

The story of Twisted felt a little unresolved, so I've written a sequel for it. Enjoy! ^^

Characters:
Kristi
Chang Min (TVXQ)
Alexierra
Han Kyung (Super Junior)
Nicole

5 years… it’s been 5 years since Kristi’s life changed drastically. But it wasn’t the first time. Her childhood has been a seriously twisted one. She found out she was a product of rape, then she was infatuated with the man who raped her mother, which lead to her mother’s suicide more than 13 years ago. When she was 21, her father, the man her mother married when she was a toddler, the man who was her only family since her mother’s death, decided to leave too. He’d shot himself in front her mother’s grave.

‘Mommy, daddy… was I such a bad daughter?’ she thought, as she watched her father’s coffin being lowered into the grave beside her mother’s.

Chang Min stood beside her then, and he held her hand. Chang Min was her only family now; the only person left in this world who truly loved her.

5 years had passed since her father had died. She now sat on a bed in the hospital, nursing her new born baby, while Chang Min stood beside her, watching proudly.

“What shall we name her?” she asked him.

“How about we name her after your mother?” he suggested.

“Sierra?”

“Yea. Your mother had a really special name.”

“I guess, but I think she should have her own name.”

“How about Alexis?” Chang Min said.

“Alexis… I like it,” Kristi said.

“No… wait! Alexierra,” Chang Min said. “Doesn’t that sound special?”

“Yes, it is special. And we can call her Alex for short,” Kristi smiled.

“Great! I’ll go fill up the papers now,” he said as he walked out happily.

“Alexierra Shim,” Kristi said as she stroked her baby’s arm. “We’re going to have a great life ahead in this new family of ours,” she whispered.

16 years later...

Alex was walking on the streets downtown with her friend, Nicole, when she bumped into him.

“Choesonghamnida,” he said as he helped her up.

“Yah! Are you blind?” Alex’s friend Nicole glared at him.

“Nicole, I’m fine,” Alex said as she dusted off her pants.

“Fine? You’ve got a horrible stain on your new white Levis.”

“Cheongmal mianhaeyo,” the boy said as he bowed.

“It’s alright,” Alex said. “My mom will know how to get the stain out.”

“Can I buy you a drink then?” he asked. “As a token of apology.”

“Are you fishing for a date?” Nicole eyed him suspiciously.

“No. Of course not. I just want to apologise properly.”

“Your accent’s weird,” Alex laughed.

“I’m not local,” he smiled.

“We know. It’s bloody obvious,” Nicole said.

“Can we go for a drink? I’ll pay for yours too,” he said to Nicole.

Alex and Nicole looked at each other, and Nicole shrugged.

“Whatever,” Nicole said.

“We’d love to,” Alex smiled at him.

“Great,” he grinned, and that was when Alex realized how cute he was.

His name was Han Kyung, and he was an apprentice chef from Beijing.

“So what’s your specialty?” Alex asked him, as she stirred her cup of bubble tea.

“Beijing fried rice,” he smiled.

“That is so cliché,” Nicole exclaimed.

“I hope I get to try your Beijing fried rice someday,” Alex said.

“Come to the restaurant this weekend,” he suggested.

“We don’t get that much allowance from our parents,” Nicole said.

“Just walk into the kitchen and ask for me,” he said.

“We can do that?” Alex asked.

“Yes you can,” he said, as he sipped his drink. He was starting to like Alex more and more. She was sweet, feminine, and she seemed smart too. He wondered if she had a boyfriend.

5 months later…

“Alex,” Kristi yelled as she stood at the bottom of the stairway.

“What?” Alex yelled back as she popped her head out of her room.

“Get down here now!” Kristi yelled. She was getting impatient with Alex, and Alex had better had a good excuse ready when she came down.

“Yes, mom,” Alex groaned as she dragged herself slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen 5 minutes later. Her mother was preparing dinner.

“Sit down,” she said sternly, as she wiped her hands on her apron.

“What is it? I need to do my homework,” Alex said impatiently.

“Homework?” Kristi exclaimed. “Your teacher just called and she said that you’ve not been handing in your homework on time. What have you been up to?”

“I…” Alex knew she was in trouble now, and she had no excuse prepared to pacify her mother.

“Is it a boy? Are you dating, Alex?” her mother eyed her.

“No, mom,” Alex sighed.

“I told you that you could date, but I want to know about it. If this boy is messing up your studies, I want to know why, or you can forget about seeing him ever again.”

“Mom…” Alex groaned. How her mother knew about everything was beyond her comprehension. She‘d concluded long ago that her mother probably lead the same life as she now did when she was a teenager

“Are you ready to explain yourself?” Kristi looked at her daughter expectantly.

She’d realized lately that Alex was starting to look more and more like her grandmother, Sierra. Her facial features, her deportment, her attitude; they reminded Kristi of her mother. The main difference between the two would be Alex’s height. She was tall for an Asian girl, about 173cm, taller than herself, and Alex had her father’s genes to thank for the extreme growth in height; Chang Min was well over 6 feet.

“Are you gonna ground me if I tell you?” Alex asked her mother.

“No. At least not just for telling me. Have you actually done something that will justify me grounding you?”

“Of course not,” Alex said quickly.

“Fine,” Kristi said. “Spit it out. I need to finish cooking before your father comes home.”

“His name is Han Kyung and he’s from Beijing,” Alex confessed.

“From Beijing? Are you dating some illegal immigrant?” Kristi said as she started to panic.

“No… he’s a chef. He’s working in a restaurant here, but he’s from Beijing.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s 4 years older than I am.”

“4 years?”

“It’s not that huge a gap,” Alex pouted. “Isn’t dad like 6 years older than you are?”

“I wasn’t 16 when we got married.”

“I’m not getting married now either. I’m just dating.”

Kristi looked at her daughter. Sometimes she worried that Alex would be as gullible as she was when she was her age. She was lucky to have met Chang Min instead of some unscrupulous guy who just wanted to take advantage of her.

[Flashback]

“Is this seat taken?” a male voice interrupted Kristi while she was deeply absorbed in her reading at a public library.

“No,” Kristi said quickly and turned her attention back to her book, and he pulled out the chair and sat down.

“Yah,” the guy whispered a few minutes later. Kristi looked up at him, a little annoyed.

‘Can’t a girl read in peace?’ she thought.

“Yes?” she looked at him expectantly.

“Can I borrow your pen?” he said. He actually sounded a little nervous. She must’ve looked really annoyed.

“Sure,” she smiled, and handed him her pen.

“Cute pen,” he said as he turned it around in his hand.

“Thanks,” she laughed softly.

“My name’s Chang Min,” he said.

“I’m Kristi,” she smiled.

[End of flashback]

Kristi’s father, had approved of Chang Min from the beginning. Chang Min’s parents were both teachers, and they’d ensure that Chang Min was brought up responsible, morally sound, and academically inclined. To sum it up, he was a good boy. After her father had died, Chang Min’s family took her in and treated her like a daughter. They got married as soon as Kristi graduated from college. Chang Min was now the director of one of the largest hospitals in their city, and the youngest ever to have assumed the position.

“Mom?” Alex said as she waved her hand in front of her mother. “Hello…”

Kristi snapped out of her thoughts and focused back on her daughter.

“Make sure you get your school work straightened out,” she said sternly. “If I receive another complaint, you’re never seeing that Han Kyung again.”

“Thanks mom!” Alex said as she ran around the counter to hug her mother.

“And I want him to come for dinner this weekend,” she added. “I want to know who you’re dating.”

That weekend, Han Kyung stood in front of Alex’s house, staring at the doorbell.

‘What if her parents hate me?’ he thought. ‘I can’t do this,” he sighed to himself.

His mobile phone started ringing, and he took it out of his pocket to see who it was. It was Alex, and he answered the call.

“Where are you?” Alex asked him.

“Outside your house.”

“Why didn’t you ring the bell?”

“I’m too afraid to,” he said.

“You’re so silly,” she laughed. “No one’s gonna eat you up.”

“I know, but I’m still nervous.”

“So are you coming in?” she asked him.

“Yea,” he said.

“I’m coming down to open the door for you. Stay there,” she said.

“I’ll try not to run away,” he laughed, and she hung up.

(Inside Alex's house)

“Where’s your boyfriend?” her father asked her as she ran down the stairs.

“He’s outside,” she said.

“He is?” he said and he turned to open the door.

“Dad! Don’t!” she yelled, but it was too late. Chang Min had opened the door and he and Han Kyung were now face to face.

“Erm… annyeong haseyo aboji,” Han Kyung mumbled. He was visibly shocked because he hadn’t expected Alex’s dad to open the door.

“Come in,” Chang Min said.

“Dad,” Alex groaned. “You’ve scared him.”

“What did I do?” Chang Min said innocently.

“Mom!” Alex yelled. “Dad’s scaring Han Kyung.”

Han Kyung was confused at the scene before him. Was this how Alex’s family interacted? They seemed so liberal, so free spirited. Back home, in China, no one would dream of yelling at his father like that.

“Come on,” Alex said as she took his hand and dragged him in.

A few hours later, they’d finish eating dinner and were having dessert.

“How’s the food?” Kristi asked a nervous Han Kyung.

“It’s delicious,” he smiled.

“I’m sure you cook much better than me,” Kristi said.

“Western desserts are not my forte,” he explained.

“So are you planning to be a permanent resident here in Korea?” Chang Min asked him.

“I hope to return to Beijing and open my own restaurant someday,” Han Kyung said.

“You never told me you were going back,” Alex remarked.

“I will, someday.”

“And what do you plan to do about your relationship with my daughter then?” Kristi asked.

“Erm…”

“Mom! It’s not like we’re getting married.”

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt, Alex,” Kristi explained.

“Right,” Chang Min remarked. “If there is no future to this relationship, I don’t see why the both of you need to continue.”

“Would you allow me to take her back to China with me?” Han Kyung asked Alex’s parents.

“Can you provide for her if she marries you?” Kristi asked Han Kyung.

“Mom! I am not marrying him yet. You guys… you’re getting way off the topic.”

“They’re right, Alex.” Han Kyung said. “I want to marry you someday, and that is the whole reason for our relationship. If you don’t want to marry me, I don’t see a point in continuing this relationship.”

“Han Kyung!” Alex exclaimed. He’d never talked to her about marriage, and she’d certainly not thought about it before. She was only 16. Not exactly the age to be thinking about marriage to begin with. What were her parents up to? What was Han Kyung thinking about?

“I think it’s great that you’ve thought about the future, young man,” Chang Min said.

“I’m not listening to this anymore,” Alex said and she stormed out of the dining room.

“Alex,” Han Kyung shouted after her as she walked briskly down the pavement outside her house.

“Get lost,” she yelled at him.

“Stop,” he said as he caught up with her and grabbed her hand.

“You’ve never talked about marriage to me,” she yelled at him. “How can you discuss something you’ve never discussed with me, with my parents?”

“They asked,” he shrugged.

“Whatever,” Alex said as she pulled her hand away from him.

“Don’t you want to marry me?” he asked her.

“I’ve not thought about it yet.”

“Why not?” he asked her.

“I’m 16! Are you nuts?”

“I’m not asking you to marry me tomorrow, and it’s obvious that you’re not serious about us,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“If you were serious about us, you’d have considered the possibilities of our future.”

“You’re crazy, you know?” she said, exasperated.

“I can see you’re not ready for this relationship,” he said.

“What?” she said incredulously.

“We don’t want the same things yet,” he explained.

“So what are you suggesting now?”

“Maybe we should take a break,” he said.

“It’s only been 4 months. What kinda break do you need?”

“I just think you need time to think about us,” he said.

“And you don’t?”

“I love you, Alex,” he said. “But I need assurance about us if I’m to invest my heart further into this relationship.”

“Fine, have it your way!” Alex shouted at him. “We’re done,” she added and she walked back into the house and slammed the door.

Han Kyung winced at the finality of the sound. He hadn’t meant to piss her off and push her away. He cared too much for her, and he wouldn’t be able to face the disappointment if she broke his heart someday. There was a Chinese saying that translated as ‘let the pain be brief, rather than to allow it to drag for a long period of time’, and he agreed with it. He’d rather get hurt now, when he could get over it easily, than to get hurt later, when he’d gotten in too deep.

Alex watched from her window, tearfully, as Han Kyung walked away from her house. She’d really started to like him, and she’d thought that he was better than most of the guys she’d known. Why did he have to push her like this? Why couldn’t he understand that she wasn’t ready?

“Alex,” her mother called out softly, as she knocked on her door.

She unlocked her door and walked to her bed to flop onto it, burying her head in her pillow.

“Alex,” Kristi said as she placed her hand on her daughter’s arm. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Just leave me alone,” Alex said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“Okay,” Kristi said and she patted Alex’s arm.

She got up and walked to the door. Before she walked out, she turned around to look at Alex.

“Alex,” she called out, and this time, Alex looked up, with a look of annoyance on her face.

“What?” she half yelled.

“Your dad and I love you very much. Don’t forget that,” she said, and she closed the door softly.

8 years later...

Alex laughed at the joke her date had just made. It wasn’t particularly funny, but she had to be nice. She really didn’t appreciate all these matchmaking dates her mother sent her on, but she had no choice. As a Korean girl, it was expected of her to get married. Especially since her age was fast approaching that of the late 20s. Today’s candidate was a DA and the son of her father’s close friend, Senator Jung.

“Excuse me, miss,” the waitress said as she placed a plate of fried rice in front of Alex and her date.

“Erm… I didn’t order this,” Alex said as she eyed the plate.

“It’s Beijing fried rice. Compliments from our head chef,” the waitress smiled and she walked away.

“Do you know the chef?” her date asked her.

“This is the first time I’ve been here,” Alex said, puzzled, as she looked towards the kitchen door.

That’s when she saw him.

“Annyeong,” he mouthed silently.

She didn’t know whether to smile or to cry. After disappearing from her life for 8 years, there he was, standing right in front of her, smiling like as if he’d just met up with her the day before.

“Excuse me,” she said as she got out of her chair.

She walked towards him, her eyes not leaving his face. He looked the same. He seemed a little more mature, but still the same Han Kyung; tall, slim and charming.

“Hey Alex,” he smiled her as she came to stand in front of him, and she slapped him.

“You jerk,” she said, her voice in an angry whisper.

“Alex,” he said in a confused tone as his hand touched his cheek, “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Happy?” she said incredulously. “You dumped me just like that and disappeared from my life, and now you suddenly appear and act as if we’d parted amicably or something. Do you think I’m happy?”

“I didn’t think you’d take it so hard. You were only 16.”

“And 16 year olds don’t know what love is? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“No,” he sighed. “Let’s not make a scene. Come with me,” he said as he pulled her down the corridor and into an office.

Once inside, he sat her down on the couch and he sat down on the coffee table in front of it, facing her.

“I wasn’t belittling you when I said you were only 16 then. I just thought that, being 16, you’d have found someone else and forgotten about me.”

“What makes you think I haven’t?” she said coldly.

“I’d thought you had when I first saw you with that guy,” he said. “But now, hearing you speak, I know you haven’t forgotten about us.”

“I’ve forgotten you, I’ve put the past behind me. Don’t flatter yourself,” she said as she stood up.

“Sit down,” he said as he pulled her down gently.

“What do you want from me?” she asked him angrily.

“I still want the same thing I wanted 8 years ago,” he said quietly. “What do you want from me now?” he asked her.

“I don’t need anything from you.”

“Then it’s just me,” he sighed. “Can you give me what I want then?”

“I don’t care about what you want. Go get it from someone else.”

“Only you can give it to me,” he said.

“Fine! What is it? What is it you want from me?” she raised her voice in frustration.

“I want you, just you. I still want to be with you,” he said.

“Why me? Why can’t you go find someone else to bother? And by the way, if you so obviously thought that you had meant nothing to me back then, why do you even bother to say this to me now?”

“Because I still love you,” he said. “And I know you still love me.”

“Rubbish,” she said.

“You know it’s not,” he said, his hands reached out to grasp either side of her arms. “Listen to yourself. You’re not being honest,”

“I’ve never been more honest in my entire life,” she said defiantly.

Han Kyung didn’t want to believe all those harsh words she’d said. He still loved her after all these years, and seeing her today had made her so happy; he’d found the love of his life again. Even though he wasn’t there beside her, he’d thought about her every day. He couldn’t believe that she had turned so cold. He didn’t want to believe. He pulled her towards him, and he kissed her.

Alex tried to resist; she didn’t want to react to his kiss. But her heart betrayed her, and she returned his kiss.

“Tell me you don’t love me now,” Han Kyung said breathlessly after he pulled away.

“I don’t love you,” she said, and she pulled him towards her to kiss him again.

3 months later...

Alex stood at the doorway, waiting for her father to come and stand beside her.

“You ready?” her father smiled, and he nudged her chin affectionately.

“I’m ready,” she smiled.

“We’re always here for you, Alex,” he said. “You’re always our baby girl.”

“I know dad. I love you,” she smiled.

The doors opened and in they walked. Everyone in the church stood up and watched as the father and the bride walked down the aisle.

“Take care of her,” Chang Min said as he handed his daughter to Han Kyung at the end of the aisle.

“I will,” he said, as he took her hand.

Chang Min walked over to the first row in the aisle to sit beside Kristi. As soon as he sat down, he took her hand in his.

“She’ll be fine,” he assured her, and she nodded; tears glistening in her eyes.

Everything had come in full circle; their lives were all on track now. Kristi’s life had been filled with sadness and devastation, and she was glad she was able to give her daughter a better life than she had. Now that Alex had found the love of her life, just as she herself did with Chang Min, she can finally feel that her life was complete.

When Alex and Han Kyung walked down the aisle and out of the church that day, their faces were filled with happiness and contentment brought about by the love they shared. They’d almost lost each other, but had managed to find each other and revive their love. The time they had lost with each other had not been wasted, but was spent building a foundation for their life ahead together; Han Kyung was now the owner and head chef of a thriving restaurant, and Alex was a consultant with an elite firm. What seemed like it twisted and tragic turn of events had straightened out and turned out for the better.

“Where to?” Han Kyung asked Alex as they drove off after the wedding reception. They’d not decided where to go for their honeymoon.

“Hand me the map,” Alex said, and she spread it out against the dashboard.

Alex closed her eyes, and pointed her finger on a random spot.

“Germany,” she smiled, when she opened her eyes and read the name of the spot she had pointed to.

“Germany it is,” Han Kyung smiled.

“To the airport,” she said.

“Nae samonim,” he laughed, and they drove off towards their destination, towards their new life together.

100 Balloons, 100 Days

2007-01-25T16:51:00.000+08:00

San San... you owe me big time...

This is the sequel to 200 Balloons, 200 Days.

100 Balloons, 100 Days

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

I put my arms around San San, or Sannie, as I affectionately call her, and watched as the 100 balloons drifted past us. Months ago, this would not have been a scene I expected myself to ever witness. I never thought I’d be able to love someone like this, until I met Sannie.

******

“Hey Sierra,” I drawled as I saw her walk out of the studios, alone. I had been waiting for the chance to talk to her all week.

“What?” she said, not even bothering to look at me. Did she know who I was? I’m Park Yoo Chun and no girl has ever ignored me like she did. But that was exactly what intrigued me about her.

“Wanna have lunch with me?” I said as I gave her my winning smile.

“No,” she replied curtly as she started to walk away.

“What’s up with you?” I said as I grabbed her arm before she could leave.

“Let go,” she said quietly, but I can sense the anger simmering beneath her cool facade. This chick was way too hot.

“Not until you treat me like the human being I am. You’re always rude to me.”

“Since when were you upgraded to a human being?” she retorted. “I’m asking nicely now, let me go.”

I sighed and let her go. I watched appreciatively as she walked away. She was a feisty one. A little too feisty for me to handle, for now. At that moment, I swore that I would bring her to her knees. I want her to beg me to take her and I’m going to discard her like the object she is. She’s nothing but an object to me.

A month later, I found out that she was dating Jun Jin, the school’s Ice Prince. How did she manage to melt his heart was beyond me. Furthermore, it was reputed that he preferred feminine girls. Sierra was definitely not feminine. From her layered hair dyed with red streaks, to the tight dance outfits she wore; she didn’t look like the kind of girl Jun Jin usually dated.

“Yoo Chun oppa!” a squeal broke into my thoughts. I cringed as I realized who it was; the airhead, San San.

“Hey Sannie,” I smiled as I turned around to face her. I called her Sannie, since San San sounded tedious. People wonder, if I’m so annoyed with her, why I even bothered to be nice to her. Well… for one, she’s a very willing girl; she loves running my errands and stroking my ego. Second, she’s Sierra’s friend and she tells me everything about Sierra, willingly. Sierra was like her idol. I didn’t even have to ask her about Sierra. She talked excessively about Sierra.

“Oppa, you didn’t show up yesterday,” she pouted. “Where were you?”

“Show up where?” I said absently.

“Oppa!” she gasped. “How could you have forgotten? You promised to meet me at the club yesterday.”

I did, and I forgot.

“Mian, Sannie. I’ll make it up to you, okay?” I smiled.

“You’d better,” she smiled sweetly as she linked her arms with mine. “Let’s go eat,” she said as she dragged me away.

[San San’s POV]

I was disappointed that Yoo Chun oppa didn’t even remember our date. But I smiled anyway. If I wanted to win him over, I must always give him a reason to be happy with me and I must not give into my emotions, or he might get annoyed. I was all alone at the club last night and I got harassed by some lechers while waiting for Yoo Chun oppa.

“Hey pretty girl,” one of them said as he walked past and whistled appreciatively. I’d worn one of my sexier outfits in hopes of getting Yoo Chun oppa’s attention. Bad idea.

“Wanna have a drink with us?” the other said.

“No,” I replied and tried to walk away. One of them caught my arm and pulled me back.

“Come now, pretty girl. A little drink won’t hurt,” he said.

“My oppa will be here soon,” I said. “Let me go.”

“Your oppa? I’m sure he won’t mind. Stay with us until he comes.”

Just then, the bartender interfered and I was able to get away from them. My heart was beating like crazy as I walked out of the club. I’d waited for 3 hours for Yoo Chun oppa, and he never showed up. I cried on the bus, all the way home. Why was it so difficult to love someone? Why won’t he even pay attention to me?

We were at the school cafeteria and I watched Yoo Chun oppa as he ate his ramen. He wasn’t the best looking guy on the entire campus. Some people had also commented that he had bad complexion. But to me, he had a charm. Not just to me, to many other girls. I’ve seen girls throwing themselves at Yoo Chun oppa and there were times when I wanted to fight them off and scream that he was mine. But he wasn’t. He gave me his precious time out of his busy schedule, but he’d never told me what we were officially dating.

[Yoo Chun’s POV]

I was with Sannie when she received a call from Sierra.

“Onni, what’s wrong?” she said. “Please don’t cry, Tell me what’s wrong. I can’t hear if you’re crying… uh huh… omigod… alright. I’ll be there.”

Sierra? Crying? This was very unlike her. Sannie’s face was pale as she hung up the phone.

“What’s up?” I asked her.

“Jun Jin oppa…” she said. ‘What about him again?’ I thought as I rolled my eyes.

“Yea… what happened?”

“Jun Jin oppa was hit by a truck.”

The Ice Prince was hit by a truck? This is big news.

“Is he dead?” I asked her.

“No, he’s in a coma.”

Perfect. Now Sierra would be vulnerable, and I’d have my chance at last.

“Let’s go visit him,” I said.

“I thought you didn’t like Jun Jin oppa,” Sannie eyed me.

“Yea, but he got hit by a truck and he’s a schoolmate. It’s only right.”

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

As we walked into Jun Jin’s ward, I could hear crying. To be precise, it was Sierra crying.

“Don’t cry dear,” Jun Jin’s mother said as she patted Sierra on the back.

“It’s all my stupid fault. I shouldn’t have made that joke about the 200 balloons,” she sobbed.

“200 balloons?” I said as I turned to Sannie.

“It’s their romantic ritual. On their 100th anniversary, Jun Jin oppa tied 100 balloons to his bike and rode to school with them. Then they went to the field nearby to release them.”

“How dumb,” I remarked. I’d seen them with those balloons. It was the day I caught the two of them making out outside the school gates. Turned out the Ice Prince was a romantic. How sickening.

“It’s not dumb, just dangerous. Jun Jin oppa was trying to bring 200 balloons this time. Today’s their 200th day anniversary, you see, and he got hit by a truck on his way to meet onni.”

It’s obvious this guy was a fool. Why would he do that for a girl? Endanger his life for a girl. Was she even worth it? I looked at Sierra now and I realized that she was a wreck. So what if I had her now, she wouldn’t be able to hold my attention if she was going to be like that all the time.

“I’m leaving,” I told Sannie. All my waiting had come up to nothing. And now that I’ve lost interest in Sierra, Sannie was useless to me.

“Wait for me,” Sannie whined.

“You can stay here, I’m leaving,” I said curtly. I’ve lost all patience for her. I didn’t feel the need to be a little nice to her at all.

“Oppa, why are you acting like this?” she said. I guess I should just tell her the truth and get rid of her once and for all.

“You know, Sannie. The only reason I’ve put up with you was because I was into Sierra. I was only using you to know more about Sierra. But now that I don’t want Sierra anymore, I don’t need you. So please get the hell out of my face,” I ended with a smirk.

[San San’s POV]

I was stunned when Yoo Chun oppa said all that. All this while he was using me to get to onni? I’d suspected that he had an ulterior motive for being nice to me. But I’d never thought it would be because he liked onni. Tears started to fill my eyes as I realized that I’ve been used. Fine, I knew he was using me all along, but if it was for something like this, I couldn’t accept it. As I collapsed to the floor, sobbing, Yoo Chun oppa walked away without a second glance.

I walked into the ward about an hour later. I’d cried my eyes out and then waited for awhile before going to rinse my face so that Sierra onni didn’t notice that I’d been crying. She was sitting in the chair beside Jun Jin oppa’s bed. She looked pale and exhausted as she held his hand.

Jun Jin oppa wasn’t really injured apart from a few scratches on his hands and face. The reason he was in a coma was because he’d his head as he was knocked off his bike. It pained me to see onni like this. She was always cheerful and bubbly around Jun Jin oppa, who had a reputation of being quiet and cold. Everyone said that she’d melted the Ice Prince’s heart from the day they started dating. I put my hand on onni’s shoulder and she looked up at me and smiled bravely.

“He’s just resting,” she said.

“Yes,” I nodded. “He’s just resting.”

I really prayed that he was just resting. If he never wakes up, Sierra onni may never be the person she was again.

It’s been a month since Jun Jin oppa woke up. Initially, he’d forgotten who Sierra onni was, and she’d told me that she’d wanted to kill herself when he said he’d forgotten her. Thankfully, he decided to try to remember her and rekindle their relationship. His amnesia turned out to be temporary, and they’re back together now, stronger than ever. I was happy for onni.

I smiled as I continued walking. I’d just got off work and was on my way home. Suddenly, I heard a muffled sound coming from some garbage bags nearby. Usually, I’d run the other way when I heard such sounds, but somehow that night, I was curious, and I went to take a peek. I gasped in horror as I realized where the sound had come from. It was Yoo Chun oppa, lying on the ground in the alley. He had a gash on his forehead and there was blood on his face and his shirt.

“Oppa,” I shouted as I rushed to his side. “Oppa, what happened?”

“Hey Sannie,” he said as he smiled weakly.

“Oppa,” I said as tears came to my eyes. Who did this to him?

“Leave me here, Sannie. I don’t deserve your pity,” he said as he coughed.

“Oppa, you’re bleeding. I’m taking you home with me,” I said as I tried to support him up into a sitting position.

He fell back to the ground, bringing me down with him and I was sprawled across his chest. I started crying. I was so frustrated. Why won’t he let me help him? Why was I so weak? Even though he’d hurt me, I still cared for him. I still wanted him to live.

“Oppa,” I cried. “Please help me,” I said. “Help me so that I can help you.”

Then, I realized that he was unconscious. I stood up and ran out to the alley, screaming for help. About an hour later an ambulance came to take Yoo Chun oppa to the hospital.

[Yoo Chun’s POV]

Sannie… my dreams were filled with her images. Sannie smiling, Sannie crying, Sannie calling out to me. My head hurt, my face hurt, my entire body hurt. What was wrong with me? I opened my eyes to find myself in a room. I looked around slowly and realized that I was in a ward. I could feel someone’s gentle breathing beside me. I turned to see who it was; it was Sannie, sleeping with her head resting on the side of the bed I lay on. I reached out my hand slowly to stroke her hair. Sannie… I don’t deserve you. I moved my hand away and closed my eyes. Could I really have her back?

I woke up hours later, and it was day time. I yawned as I turned to look at Sannie and she was gone. Where did she go?

“You’re awake,” she said and I turned to see where her voice came from. She was standing by the window, looking out. She turned to look at me. The sight of her face, her silhouette in the sunlight, it took my breath away. I was a fool to have let her go.

“Yes,” I replied as I tried to sit up.

“Careful,” she said as she rushed to my side and helped me up.

“Thanks,” I said after we’d completed the task of sitting me up.

“Do you want some water?” she asked me, and I nodded.

She handed me a glass of water with a straw and I sipped it slowly. When I was done, she put the glass back on the side table and sat down on the chair beside the bed, facing me.

“What happened last night?” she asked me. I cringed. Did I really have to answer?

“I got into a little scuffle, that’s all,” I said.

“A little scuffle?” she exclaimed. “You could’ve died of excessive bleeding!”

“Shhh!!!” I said. “Pipe down. You don’t want the nurse thinking that I’m molesting you or something.”

“You’re in no condition to molest me,” she replied.

“Wanna bet?” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

“Be serious,” she said as she glared at me. I sighed. Maybe I should tell her everything. How I’ve made a mistake, and what a jerk I was. Maybe she’ll forgive me. Even if she doesn’t, I’ll have nothing more to lose. I’ve already lost everything when I gave Sannie up anyway.

“I got drunk,” I admitted.

“Why?”

“Because I missed you,” I said.

“Liar,” she replied.

“It’s the truth,” I said earnestly. “I got beaten up because I didn’t bring my wallet with me and when I was asked to pay, I picked a fight with the bartender and some people at the bar.”

“Why do you always have to get yourself into such situations,” she sighed.

“I really missed you, Sannie,” I said and I hoped that it was getting through to her.

“Why would you miss someone you didn’t like in the first place?”

“At first, I thought I didn’t need you. After I left you, I realized that I’d been so used to having you around and then it hit me.”

“What hit you?”

“I realized that I loved you. I can’t live without you.”

“Then why didn’t you come back for me sooner?”

“I thought that since I was such a jerk to you, I’d lost you forever.”

“I’d have forgiven you if you were honest,” she replied.

“Then would you forgive me now?” I asked her.

“I don't know,” she said.

“Please give me another chance, Sannie,” I pleaded. “I’ll make it up to you this time, for real.”

“You won’t treat me like you used to?” she asked.

“I won’t,” I said and looked at her pleadingly.

“I’ll think about it,” she smiled.

******

[Sannie’s POV]

Today’s our 100th day anniversary; Yoo Chun oppa’s and mine. He’d called me earlier and said that he had a surprise. I was so excited.

“Bye onni!” I hollered at Sierra onni as I ran out from the studio after class.

“Bye!” she laughed. “Walk slowly. Don’t run!” she called after me.

As I reached the gates, I saw Yoo Chun oppa and tears came to my eyes when I saw what he’d done. He’d tied 100 pink balloons to his car.

“Oppa!” I squealed as I ran up and hugged him.

“You like them?” he asked.

“Yes!” I smiled and I kissed him.

“Let’s go,” he said breathlessly as he pulled away from my lips.

We drove to the nearby field and brought the balloons to the middle of the field. On our way there, one balloon got away. I laughed as Yoo Chun oppa tried to chase it down, but it drifted too high up, so he gave up and walked back to me with the other balloons in his hands.

“Saranghae,” Yoo Chun oppa said as he kissed me again, and when he did, we released the 100 balloons from our grasp. We looked up awhile later, to see the balloons drifting slowly away. He put his arms around me as we watched.

Even though he’d hurt badly me back then, I forgave him. I knew that somehow, he really did love me and that we were meant to be together. These past 100 days, he’d proven to me that he was a changed man and if you gave me a chance to turn back the time, I would not have had it anyway different. What had happened back then has made our love stronger and more meaningful. It was now to me, the love of a lifetime.

200 Balloons, 200 Days...

2007-01-24T11:42:00.000+08:00

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

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.

A Tale of A Dolphin

2007-01-08T23:24:00.000+08:00

I got a request from Natalie aka doobsy to write a fic about her and Jun Su. So here it is! ^^p Aren't I a great friend? ^^

Characters:
Jun Su (TVXQ)
Chang Min (TVXQ)
Natalie
Xing
Xiah and Micky the dolphins ^^,

“Kamsahamnida!” Natalie bowed as the last visitor left.

“Natalie,” Xing called as she waved. “Come help me with the gate.”

The two of them struggled to close the gates of the marine park. They were the only two left to close up the gates. The rest of the staff were inside either cleaning or packing up the equipment used for the day. When they finally got the gate closed, they started walking towards the tanks. It was their turn to feed dolphins and clean the tanks today.

“Don’t you love dolphins?” Natalie asked Xing.

“Hmm… yea…” Xing yawned. ‘I’ve gotta stop staying up past 2am,’ Xing thought as she walked alongside Natalie.

“Xing!” someone called out and she turned to see who it was. It was Chang Min, their colleague. Xing had a huge crush on Chang Min, but had never confessed it to him.

“Hi, Chang Min,” she waved nervously.

“Are you leaving yet?” he asked. “Want me to walk you to the bus stop?”

“Erm… yea! Sure!” Xing replied.

“Xing!” Natalie hissed, “We’re supposed to…” and Xing covered Natalie’s mouth before she could continued.

“Can you wait for me outside? I’ll be just a sec,” Xing smiled to Chang Min.

“Okay,” Chang Min said and walked off, turning back once to look at them with a puzzled expression.

“Xing!” Natalie whispered urgently at her since Chang Min was still near. “You’re supposed to clean the dolphin tank with me.”

“Natalie… please cover for me this once. It’s Chang Min! Chang Min wants to walk me home!!!” Xing squealed.

Natalie rolled her eyes and sighed, “Fine! You owe me.”

“Thank you! Thank you! I love you,” Xing bounced up and down and as she hugged Natalie.

Xing and Natalie were both students from the National University of Singapore (NUS), majoring in Marine Biology and were working in a marine park in Korea as part of their apprenticeship program. They’d practically won a lottery when they were chosen because only a select few would have the opportunity to go overseas for their training. Most of their fellow course mates either went to a turtle sanctuary on the East coast of Malaysia or to the aquariums on Sentosa Island, which was in Singapore.

The sky had started to turn dark as Natalie started brushing the sides of the dolphin tank with the special sponge attached to a pole. As she did, the two dolphins in the tank swam towards her and started bumping on the pole.

“Xiah! Micky! Stop that!” Natalie laughed as they continued to harass her. As she tried to move away from the dolphins, she slipped and fell into the tank. She panicked as she fell, so it was useless even though she was a trained swimmer. She was in such a shock that she kept flailing her arms and she sank deeper and deeper. ‘This is it, I’m drowning,” she thought as she closed her eyes. Most of the other staff were too far away. They probably wouldn’t notice what had happened to her until it was too late. She slowly slipped into unconsciousness and was totally unaware that Xiah, the dolphin was swimming towards her.

‘Oh no!’ Xiah thought as he swam towards Natalie. He swam under her and pushed her up with his nose to get her to the surface of the tank. ‘Come on, Xiah. Hurry!’ he told himself as he used all his energy to push her up to the surface. As soon as they reached the surface, a bright glow of light surrounded Xiah and a wave of water, from nowhere, washed the both of them onto the side of the pool. Xiah was knocked out as he hit the ground.

Sometime later, Xiah opened his eyes and looked around. ‘That’s funny,’ he thought. His vision wasn’t blurry like it always was. He turned around and saw that he was lying beside the tank. ‘I’m out of the tank? Omigod! I’m going to die!’ he thought as he sat up quickly. Then he realized that something was very wrong with his body. He looked down to check out his flippers and what he saw made him scream in shock. He had legs! Human legs! The kind he always saw on those humans through the glass of his tank. He held up his fins. They’d turned into human hands. What has happened?

“Mmm…” he heard someone groan from beside him. ‘Natalie!’ he remembered and he crawled towards her.

“Na… Nat… Natalie,” he managed to say. It felt weird to be speaking like a human, but somehow, he managed to say the words that formed in his head. He nudged Natalie and called her name again, “Natalie.”

She started coughing out the water she’d swallowed and her eyes fluttered open weakly as she looked at him. He felt his heart skip a beat. Was this how it felt to look at a human out of the water?

“Natalie,” he called out again. He liked the way this name rolled off his tongue.

“Hmm?” Natalie answered and her eyes started to widen. She sat up quickly and stared at him. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

“It’s me, Xiah!” he said.

“Xiah?” she repeated, trying to recall. The name was oddly familiar.

“The dolphin,” he said.

“The dolphin?” she repeated after him.

“Yes.”

“You expect me to believe you? How can a dolphin be a human?”

“Look in the tank. How many dolphins do you see?”

She looked out at the tank and sure enough, she saw only Micky, swimming around.

“Omigod!! Where did Xiah go?” she exclaimed.

“Don’t!” he said as he covered her mouth with his hands. Her mouth felt warm against his palm. “I swear that I’m telling you the truth. Please don’t alert the other humans.”

She stared at him and tried to make sense of what he was saying. Could he really be Xiah the dolphin? This was a little too weird for her to accept.

“If you’re Xiah the dolphin, tell me, what is it that you always do to tease your trainer?”

“When he asks me to twirl, I’d flip over and splash him,” he smiled. “I think twirling is so gay.”

“Omigod!” Natalie exclaimed as her jaw dropped open. He really was Xiah the dolphin. Only a staff would know that, because even though Xiah fooled around during training, he’d always perform perfectly during each show.

“You believe me now?” he asked earnestly.

“Yes I do,” she said.

Just then, the lights of the park went off. Only a single fluorescent light was left on by the tank.

“Are they leaving without me? Oh no!” she exclaimed.

“Please don’t go,” he said. “I’ll be alone here without you. I feel so lost now. What am I going to do about this?”

“This?”

“I’m no longer a dolphin,” he said. “What do I do?”

“I really don’t know. Do you remember how it happened?”

“I remember pushing you to the surface. And there was this huge wave that washed us onto the ground, here, and I was knocked out.”

“Wave? How can there be a wave? This is a tank.”

“Beats me,” he shrugged. “Please stay,” he pleaded.

She looked at him and for the first time, she realized that he was pretty good looking as a human. He was cute. He had spiky, black hair and was dressed in a white, fitting Adidas shirt and he had on a pair of faded, grey jeans. He sure had a round butt for a dolphin, let alone a normal guy.

“Alright,” she sighed.

“Thank you,” he smiled at her and she felt herself melting. He has a beautiful smile as a human. But even has a dolphin, she’d always found him charismatic.

They sat by the tank and let their legs hang over the edge. Micky swam over and nudged Xiah’s legs. Xiah made a series clicks and whistles at Micky and Micky sort of nodded.

“What did you tell him?” Natalie asked.

“I was just telling him that I’ll be back to join him soon, I hope.”

“Don’t be sad. I’m sure things will get back to normal soon,” Natalie said.

“But how?” Xiah asked.

“I dunno. I just think they will,” she said and Xiah sighed.

“How long do you intend to work for this park?” Xiah asked her.

“I leave in another week,” she smiled sadly.

“Bummer,” he replied.

“Yea… hey! I have a question. Do the both of you feel lonely without any female dolphins?”

“Haha! Sometimes.”

“I heard them talking about bringing in a few soon.”

“Really? That would be fun!” he smiled.

“Do dolphins kiss?” she asked him.

“Kiss? What's kiss?” he asked, looking very puzzled.

“You know… when your mouth touches another person’s,”

“Ooh! I’ve seen some people do that through the tank. Haha!”

“So do you?”

“We touch our noses, but we don’t do that tongue thingie I see those humans do,” he giggled.

“Hey! Let’s go for a swim,” Natalie said.

“Okay! Last one’s a smelly tuna!” Xiah shouted as he jumped into the tank. Micky swam alongside them as they swam leisurely underwater and broke up to the surface. When they did, Micky sprayed them with a mouthful of water.

“Eww,” Natalie laughed she looked up and she saw Xiah staring at her. What was he thinking? They looked at each other as they continued to thread the water, then Xiah reached out his hand and pulled Natalie over. She could feel the heat of his breath as their faces got nearer and nearer and finally, their lips met. His lips were warm and moist and he didn’t taste fishy at all. Suddenly, she started coughing and she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the tank, she was lying on the ground and someone had their mouth on hers. She stared at the face before her, and it was a familiar face of a guy. He pulled away.

“Thank god you’re awake,” he said.

“Xiah?” she said in a confused tone. He was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“Xiah? Who’s Xiah?” he said.

“Aren’t you Xiah, the dolphin?” she said.

“No. Do I look like a dolphin to you? I was passing by during my watch, well not my watch exactly, I'm covering for my uncle, and I heard the dolphins making this huge racket, then I saw you lying on top of one of the dolphins near the edge of the tank. So I jumped in and pulled you out.”

“You pulled me out?”

“Yea… and I administered CPR on you.”

“CPR? But…” now she was really confused. He looked exactly like Xiah. The Xiah who’d talked to her just a moment ago, the Xiah who’s kissed her a moment ago. Was it all a dream?

“Yes, CPR,” he smiled.

She turned and looked towards the tank, sure enough, Xiah and Micky were still swimming around in it. So it was all a dream. But it had seemed so real. She turned to her rescuer and smiled.

“So what’s your name?” she asked.

“Jun Su, my name’s Jun Su,” and he smiled, just as he had in her dream. Drops of water dripped from his spiky hair and his shirt clung to his body like a second skin. He looked so hot.

“I’m Natalie,” she smiled back and when she looked over at Xiah, she could’ve sworn that he winked at her.

Rain...

2007-01-04T11:34:00.000+08:00

I cursed the skies as I ran through the rain. Why did it have to rain just as I got off work? All I had was my huge bag to shield my head as I ran towards the final row of shops where my bus stop is. Just as I managed to get under the shelter, someone ran into me and knocked me over.

“Aisshiii!!” I cursed as I looked at the contents of my bag strewed all over the pavement, getting drenched by the rain. Worst of all, my cell phone now sat in a puddle of water. “Andoe!!” I yelled as I picked it up. Water leaked out of it as I held it up. I flipped it open and found that the screen had blacked out.

“Choesong hamnida,” someone said, taking my attention away from my phone for a moment. I looked up and this cute guy stands before me. Cute was an understatement, he was hot. But hot or not, he’d killed my phone and he’d better be paying.

“Yah!” I said as I held out my phone at him. “Look what you’ve done!” he took the phone out of my hand and inspected it.

“Mian. I was so intent on getting out of the rain that I did not see you,” he said. “I think you’d better get up. You’re getting wet,” he said as he held out his free hand to me.

I glared at him as I took his hand and he pulled me onto my feet. I bent down to quickly scoop up the remaining stuff I’d dropped and we walked into the shelter.

“So… are you going to pay for my phone?” I asked.

“I have a friend who owns a phone shop. I think he’ll be able to fix it for you,” he said. “I’ll pay for the costs, of course,” he quickly added.

I must’ve looked pretty scary for him to seem so nervous around me. Either that or he’s a really shy guy.

“Komawo,” I said. I wasn’t about to be formal and polite to someone who’d knocked me over like a bean bag.

“You’re all wet. If you don’t mind, you can come over to my place. I live just above these shops.”

Go to his place? Is this guy for real? Like I’m gonna just go to some weird guy’s place when I hardly knew him. For all I knew, he might be a…

“Achooo!” I sneezed.

“Yea… You’d better come with me,” he said and he grabbed my hand before I could react.

“Ajoshi,” I said frantically. “Let go. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You want your phone fixed?” he turned back to ask me as he continued walking.

“Erm… yea. But I don't want to go home with you,” I said.

“We’ll go to my friend’s place once the rain stops. You should get yourself dry before you get sick,” he said.

We finally came to a stop in front of a stair and he started to climb it as he continued to pull me along. Thankfully, his place was on the 2nd floor. I stood there nervously as he fished his pockets for his keys. He looked even better in the dim light of the corridor. His hair curled up at its ends, and I could see his toned body under his wet shirt. I shook my head, trying to clear the impure thoughts that were about to flood my brain. Then, I heard him laugh.

“Waeguraeseyo?” I asked as I looked at him.

“What you just did… I don’t know why you did it, but you remind me of a puppy,” he laughed.

“Mwo?” I said as I glared at him.

“But you’re a really cute puppy,” he added as he pushed open the door.

“Ya! I’m not a puppy!” I said as I followed him in. I was surprised at how clean his house was as I stood at the doorway and took off my shoes.

“I’ll go get you some towels,” he said as he tossed his keys on the coffee table and walked into one of the 3 rooms. I closed the door and walked around slowly. It was a small apartment; from the living room, you could look right into the little kitchen. In the middle of the room, there was a round dining table with 4 chairs and a set of worn leather sofas were placed in front of a flat screen television. He seems quite well-to-do. I wonder what he does.

“Here,” he said as he tossed me a towel. He’d changed into dry clothes and was toweling his hair dry with the towel around his neck. What he wore now, would’ve probably cause nosebleed for most girls. He wore a tight-fitting sleeveless shirt which showed off his toned arms and a pair of sweat pants which sort of clung to his butt. He had a nice butt.

I started to rub my hair and wiped of the drops of water from my arms and face. Halfway through my task, he handed me a set of clothes.

“Here,” he said. “I hope they fit,” he smiled. He’d handed me a baggy shirt and a pair of sweat pants. I looked at them for a moment, contemplating if I should change. “Go on,” he said, still smiling. “You’re gonna get sick in those wet clothes.” I sighed and dropped my bag on the floor.

“Where can I change?” I asked him.

“Here,” he said as he walked to one of the doors and pushed it open to reveal a bathroom.

“Thanks,” I said as I went it. I changed out of my clothes and turned to look into the mirror when I was done. I was horrified with how I looked. I’d dried my hair a little too vigorously and it now resembled a rat’s nest. He must have had a hard time containing his laughter when he saw me just now. I looked around the bathroom and found a single-toothed comb lying on the counter. I quickly ran the comb through my hair and straightened it out as best as I could. Thankfully, my hair was never a big problem to manage. All I needed was a comb and some water.

As I emerged from the bathroom, the guy walked past and placed two mugs of hot drinks on the coffee table.

“Tea,” he said. “Let me put these in the dryer for you,” he said as he took my clothes out of my hands before I could react.

“Thanks,” I said as I sat down in an arm chair. I picked up one of the mugs and brought it to my lips. I close my eyes as I inhaled the steam rising from it. It’s always nice to have something warm to drink after getting caught in the rain.

“Do I scare you?” he asked suddenly, as he walked back into the room to sit down on the sofa opposite me.

“Hmm?” I said as I opened my eyes to look at him.

“Do I look like a psycho to you?” he repeated.

“Psycho? No. What makes you say that?” I asked as I cautiously took a sip of the hot tea.

“You seem to be really wary of me,” he explained.

“Erm… that’s because I don’t even know your name.”

“Mian, my name’s Min Woo. Lee Min Woo,” he smiled. “What’s yours?”

“Sierra,” I said.

“Sierra… no last name?” he asked.

“Yep, Sierra with no last name,” I said. I didn’t feel like he needed to know. I probably won’t see him again.

“You’re not local, are you?” he asked me as he sipped his tea.

“Nope,” I replied.

“Where are you from then?”

“Malaysia.”

“Cool. I’ve yet to meet a Malaysian. But you sound very Korean for a Malaysian.”

“Komawo. I’ve been living here for 2 years now. I think that my Korean should sound less like a foreigner by now.”

“True,” he said. “But I bet you’re a fast learner,” he added and I smiled at his compliment.

We sat there in silence, for the next few minutes, as we drank our tea. I looked out the window and saw no sign that the rain would be receding anytime soon.

“Min Woo-shi, I think I’d better go,” I said as I got up.

“Sierra-shi, your clothes are still in the dryer,” he reminded me.

“Oh,” I exclaimed softly and sat down again.

“Are you in a hurry?” he asked.

“Erm… not really.”

“It’s me isn’t it?” he said.

“Nae?” I looked at him, puzzled.

“I’m too irresistible, aren’t I?” he winked.

“Huh?” I exclaimed and then I laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He smiled broadly at me and I had to admit, it got to me. He was inching his way into my heart.

“What are you thinking about?” Min Woo reached over to take my hand. We were sitting in a cafe and it was raining outside, just like it had been when we first met.

“Us,” I smiled.

“The rain always reminded me of the day we first met,” he said, echoing my thoughts exactly.

“Hmm…” I smiled and he brought his hand up to touch my cheek lightly.

Years from now, if we ever have a child together, I’ll be sure to name him or her, Rain.

“I’ll never forget how you looked on that day,” he smiled.

“Like a wet puppy?” I offered.

“Ani… like a mermaid from the sea,” he said and he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.

Twisted

2007-01-01T12:06:00.000+08:00

This was inspired by a role play chat we had on MSN. Pardon the lameness… ;)

-31 Dec 2006-

Few years ago…

“Jun Jin, I’m pregnant,” said a tearful Sierra.

“What? Get rid of it then!” he said harshly.

“How can you even say that? This baby is your flesh and blood,” Sierra sobbed.

[Flashback]

“Come on, Sierra…” Jun Jin coaxes.

“No… we can’t Jun Jin,” Sierra says in a worried tone.

“I won’t hurt you…”

“No, Jun Jin… No…”

[End of flashback]

“I won’t have anything to do with this,” Jun Jin said as he turned to leave.

“Jun Jin,” Sierra cried out. “Don’t leave me, you can’t leave me!”

“Get off,” he said as he shrugged her off roughly and Sierra fell to the ground. As he walked away, she sobs uncontrollably.

13 years later...

“Mommy…” Kristi called out as she shook her mother’s arm.

“Hmm?” Sierra comes out of her trance and turns to look at her daughter.

“Mommy, I can’t figure out this sum,” Kristi said as she held out a book.

“Oh… sit down. I’ll help you.”

“I’m home!” Jae Joong calls out as he walks in through the door.

“Daddy!” Kristi yells as she runs over to hug him.

“Hey there! Have you finished your homework?”

“Mommy’s helping me with it.”

“Great, I’ll cook dinner.”

Sierra looks on as her daughter and husband dashed into the kitchen to prepare their dinner. It was fate that had brought all of them together. After Jun Jin left, Sierra had Kristi on her own. She’d met Jae Joong years later and was lucky enough that he accepted the fact that she was a single mother. They got married when Kristi was 3, so she never really remembered if she had a father or not before Jae Joong came into the picture.

A few months later…

“Sierra, isn’t that your daughter?” Linda points to a girl talking to a man.

“Hmm… it is!! But who’s that guy?” Sierra wondered as she and Linda walked towards them. Sierra felt her blood run cold when she recognized him. It was Jun Jin. “Kristi,” she called out as her steps quickened.

“Mommy?” Kristi squinted as she turned away from Jun Jin.

“That’s your mother?” Jun Jin asked.

“Kristi, stay away from him,” Sierra said as she pulled Kristi away.

“What’s going on?” Kristi asked.

“Your mother’s an old friend of mine,” Jun Jin laughed.

“Stay away from Kristi, Jun Jin,” Sierra warned him.

“Oppa… how old are you? You know my mother?” Kristi asked.

“Does my age matter to you?” he asked.

“Enough! Let’s go home!” Sierra said as she dragged Kristi away.

“Oppa!” Kristi turned back as her mother led her away. He smiled grimly at her as he waved.

Back at home…

“Mommy! What’s going on?” Kristi asked as soon as they got home.

“You can’t see Jun Jin anymore.”

“Why?”

“First of all, he’s older than I am… that makes him too old for you.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Kristi! Stop it!” Sierra yelled in exasperation.

“No! I won’t!” Kristi said as she stomped off.

“He’s your father, Kristi!”

“What?” Kristi pales with shock as she turned around.

“He’s your father…” Sierra repeated as she started to cry.

“I have a father. His name is Kim Jae Joong.”

“I married Jae Joong when you were 3. Jun Jin was the one who got me pregnant.”

“And you never told me? I’m 13! I have a right to know!”

“How could I tell my own daughter that she was a product of rape?”

“Jun Jin oppa raped you?”

“Stop calling him oppa.”

“I hate you! You’re a liar! I hate you!” Kristi screamed as she ran to her room.

Kristi spent the next hour crying. For the first time, she’d fallen in love with someone, only to find out that he was her father. How twisted could her life be? And the man she hugged every day, the man who kissed her forehead after reading her a story every night, since she was a toddler, was not her real father. She’d always wondered why she didn’t inherit her father’s beautiful features, and she didn’t look much like her mother either. Now it all made sense.

Kristi emerged from her room hours later to find the house in darkness. She walked to her mother’s room, ready to talk about what had happened. As she opened the door, she saw a light coming from the bathroom. She walked it and gasped at the scene before her. Her mother lay on the bathroom floor, motionless.

“Mommy!” Kristi cried out as she knelt beside her and shook her. “Mommy…” she sobbed. “Please wake up… I don’t care about Jun Jin oppa, please wake up.”

“Kristi, what’s wrong?” Jae Joong asked as he walked into the room. As soon as he saw Sierra, he lunged forward and picked her up. “Let’s go,” he said as he walked out of the room.

At the hospital…

“We’re sorry, Mr. Kim. There’s nothing we can do for your wife. It’s been too many hours since she’d swallowed those pills,” the doctor said. “You’d best go in now.”

“Mommy!” Kristi wailed. Jae Joong stood there in silence as he put his arm around his daughter.

“Let’s go in,” he said after awhile and led Kristi into the ward.

Sierra was in a coma. Her face was pale, but she looked serene. Jae Joong took her hand and held it to his face.

“Why Sierra, why did you do this?” he whispered.

“It’s my fault, daddy,” Kristi started crying again and she told him the whole story.

“Sierra,” Jae Joong voice was filled with pain and longing as he touched her face. He’d known about Jun Jin, but didn’t think that she was still haunted by the past.

8 years later…

Jae Joong and Kristi stood in front of Sierra’s grave. It’s been 8 years since she died and Kristi was now a young woman. Jun Jin never came back and both Jae Joong and Kristi made do with only each other.

“Kristi,” someone called out from behind. She turned to see Chang Min, her boyfriend, wave at her.

“I’m gonna go with Chang Min now, okay?” she looked at her father.

“Go on,” he smiled.

“I’m coming,” she yelled back at Chang Min. “Love you, dad,” she said as she gave Jae Joong a quick hug before she ran off with Chang Min.

“Sierra-yah,” Jae Joong whispered to the wind as soon as Kristi had left. “Our daughter’s in good hands now. Chang Min is a bright boy and he will take care of her.”

He took out a crumpled note from his pocket and unfolded it. It was the suicide note Sierra had written.

Jae Joong,

I thought I’d forgotten the past, but it seemed that it had found a dark corner in my mind to hide in, until I’m confronted with it again. I can’t live with myself. I can’t live with the fact that I brought Kristi to this world in a twist of cruel fate, and not out of love. I love you, Jae Joong. But I don’t think you should live with someone who can’t love herself anymore. Take care of Kristi for me. Saranghae.

Sierra

A single tear slid down his cheek as he finished reading the note. After 8 years, he still felt the stab of pain as he read it.

“Sierra-yah… I’m coming,” he said as he let the breeze lift the note out of his hands. He took out a pistol from his pocket and pointed it to his head. “Saranghae,” he whispered as he pulled the trigger.

떡볶기 - Tteokppok-kki (Rice Cakes in Hot Sauce)

2007-01-01T11:58:00.000+08:00

This is a fic I wrote for SBSK's Chang Min project. It's a really short story since they only allowed one page per person. Enjoy!
-21 Dec 2006-

“Chang Min!” I shouted at him. “Wait up!”

We were running to the nearest tteokppok-kki stall after school. Chang Min could never wait for the final bell to ring. When it did, he zipped out of the school gates for his favorite after-school snack.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” he yelled as he turned around. I’d miscalculated my speed and bearings and I crashed into him, pinning him on the pavement.

“Omigod! Chang Min! Are you alright?” I quickly sat up and looked at him.

“Tt-tt-teok-ppok-kki…” he stammered and then dropped his head to the side.

“Yah! Chang Min!” I yelled at him and poked his forehead. He loved playing dead and I hated it whenever he did that.

“Oww…” he exclaimed, rubbing his forehead.

“Stop playing dead,” I said. “I hate it when you do that.”

“You’re so heavy, I could’ve been. Besides, you knew I was just playing.”

“I still hate it,” I sulked.

“Mian,” he said sweetly and he helped me up. “Let’s go eat,” he smiled as he put his arm around me.

It’s been 4 years now, and Chang Min is now a member of TVXQ. I missed our school days… our walks in the park, the school trips we took, sleeping over at each others’ homes and those times we’d spent gorging on junk food. Ever since he joined TVXQ, I only got to see him once a year, and every time we met, he’d ask me the same thing.

“Don’t you miss that tteokppok-kki stall outside our school? Let’s go there someday.”

But he never found the time.

I’m walking home from the nearby video rental store where I worked part time. It was a hot day, but I took my time, walking in the sun and scuffing my shoes on stones and the uneven pavement as I walked. As I turned the corner into the street leading to my house, I saw a tall figure leaning on the lamp post outside my gate. My pace quickened as I realized who it was. It was as if the scene was replayed all over again, but this time, I knocked him over with a hug; a hug spurred by happiness. I was so happy to see him turn up unexpectedly. I’d been waiting for this moment for the longest time. He looked up at me and smiled as I lay on top of him.

“Let’s go for tteokppok-kki!” he said.

Just a quick one...

2007-01-01T11:52:00.000+08:00

I created this blog to archive my one shots. What are one shots? They're short stories, only one chapter, so they're one shots. I currently have few one shots, mostly because I'm so obsessed with writing What would have been (my Korean romance).

I also have a problem with compressing my writing; I get too long-winded. But I'm trying to be an all-rounder. I will get there and become a great fan fic writer. Watch me!! ^^