Chapter 1

 

 

"Why aren't you saying anything?!" yelled the man in frustration as he banged his fist against the wall, blocking the path in between the stairs of an empty cafe. He was fuming, his eyes focused still onto the girl who looked at him with a straight, angry expression.

"Move." It was only one word but it meant many things. In a thick, monotonous tone, the girl crossed her arms and left out a heavy sigh.

"I said, move." A sharp stare into his eyes, it was clear she was annoyed, frustrated and that she no longer wanted to deal anything that involved him. 

The man could say nothing but to open the way, quietly shifting his legs to the side as the girl just took a step downwards, walking to where she wanted to, obviously to leave the cafe and never see him again. But he couldn't let her go. He couldn't let her out of her sight. He wanted to be forgiven. He was sorry for what he had done. He loved her so dearly yet he betrayed her heart. At a sudden point, he found himself unconciously holding onto her hand. One touch, brought back their memories of being together. For a split second, he remembered the times they kiseed and cuddled in each other's arms, laughing and making jokes with each other. It was like an eternal happiness showered in warmth. But the warmth he felt, was no longer there. It was nothing but a sharp, icy cold stab in his heart. Before he could even react, the girl quickly let go with a strong force.

"Let go." said Chorong coldly.

"G-Give me one more chance! Please, Chorong-ah!" said the man, realising that he really could not let her go. He was apologetic, he knew his mistakes were wrong and it was all his fault.

The girl took a glance at him, his eyes screamed for her forgiveness. For a moment, the girl sighed.

"Like what?"

"Just give me one more chance. Let me explain to you properly what happened. It really wasn't me!"

"Where? Here? You're going to inconvenience other people."

"Outside."

"We will freeze to death."

"Let's go eat hot fishcakes. It's perfect for the weather right now. Alright Chorong-ah?" pleaded the man, who was cornered and forced to his limits. He was tenacious and did not want to give up on her, no matter what. Chorong was the love of his life. It took so long for him to confess his feelings after being best friends since childhood. The two years they had spent together, the memories they made, he didn't want everything to shatter and vanish apart into thin air.

"Fine." sighed Chorong. She was tired, exhausted and stressed out from both work and this. She knew from the start, this relationship was eventually going to fail. All couples would end like that anyways, there was no happy ending to their story. This was what she had thought since the beginning. The girl never had any hope on love, because she didn't believe it in. She thought of making a chance with him, being his girlfriend and actually falling in love for once but, in the end she was betrayed. Yet, her heart seemed to falter. She thought maybe she misunderstood something, overlooked something and decided to give her ex-boyfriend Changsub, one more chance to explain himself. She had a soft, gentle heart and was always kind. Her kindness was in fact, her biggest weakness.

As the two walked out of the cafe and into the freezing weather as snow poured down the streets, Chorong kept a distance from him as they headed towards a nearby street stall that served steaming, hot fishcakes for people who were getting off work late at night. It was rather packed but the two managed to get a seat tucked in the far corner, as Changsub independently ordered the meal with haste. Food didn't matter at the moment, what was important was getting her trsut and heart back.

"Chorong-ah, please....hear me out for once." begged Changsub.

The girl simply lifted her head up and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue his sentence. It was clear from anything, she emitted a strong, powerful aura of anger and annoyance. 

"That wasn't me. The man in the picture isn't me. I did not kiss anybody that night."

"Then who was that man? Your twin?"

"No....the thing is-"

"Stop lying Changsub-ah. This isn't going to get us anywhere. If you're going to make stupid excuses again, I'm leaving."

"Okay. Fine. Yes, I did drink. I got drunk at the club and I was not being myself. I was high, these girls suddenly came up to me, hugging me, singing songs and all that."

"And you kissed them."

"N-no-I mean, yes. I kissed them because I was drunk."

"It was more than just kissing."

"Look, Chorong-ah"

"You spend a night with those girls. You were photographed with them in a bed. And you think I should be forgiving you just because you were drunk? What kind of nonsense is that? I love no man, who betrays."

"Chorong-ah."

The girl proceeded to ignore him as she asked the waiter for not one, not two but three bottles of soju.

"Leave." said Chorong coldly as she did not even look into his eye.

The man sighed as he stared down at the table.

"Fine. Be that way, Chorong-ah." said Changsub as he took out his wallet and placed cash on the table as he stood up from his chair.

"Consider this my last treat to you. But remember, I won't give up." It was the last words that came out of the man's mouth as he took heavy steps, walking away and slowly dissapeared in sight, leaving the girl all alone on that winter night. With only the comfort of the cold by her side, the girl quietly ate and gulped down the first bottle of soju. Silently wiping her tears that continued to flow, she told herself that she will never fall in love again because, love has only given her pain and not happiness. This was not what she had looked for in life. The dreams of being a housewife, having children and being truly loved by a man were all washed away. 

As the hour ticked by, she drank and drank. Drinking her sorrows away, this was the first time she had drunk so much alcohol. It was to the point where she could no longer taste the bitterness in the drink and seemingly, was like water that had no cure to the hole in her heart. Without even realising, she felt so light-headed that her head plopped onto the table and her vision started to turn blurry. For all she could know, she couldn't even hear anything properly anymore. In her vision, she could see someone walking towards her in a rush. Putting away her soju bottles and cups, there was a girl in a pink cap that came to her side. She couldn't remember much, just the feeling of her being lifted up from the table and she lost her conciousness at that point. Everything went black. The only thing she could remember prominently was, that pink cap. It was all about the pink cap.

 

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

 

All it took was a sharp pain in her head to get her eyes open, a bright light shone through the window as she found herself in bed. Looking around, it seems like her own apartment. Everything that happened yesterday seemed like a dream, or rather a nightmare. Bringing herself up on bed, she wondered what happened to her. The last she could remember was drinking in that cold, winter night and she out. Her clothes were exactly the same, the door is closed, but who brought her back home? With worrying thoughts lingering about, she saw a small note left on her bedside table. It was a very simple, short message.

"Apologies on behalf for tresspasing your house, don't worry I didn't take anything. You knocked out and I just couldn't leave you out there. If you need any help, feel free to call me at XXX-XXX-XXX" - A stranger

"W-What?!" said Chorong out loud in confusion. She wasn't sure what to feel. Was she supposed to be thankful that the stranger brought her back home safely or be worried as to how the stranger knew where she lived? It was a chilling thought but Chorong had more things to worry about. Her phone began to ring as she reached for it inside her pocket. On the screen, it wrote "Boss". With a sigh, the stress of work came back and soon, she began to realise that she was back to reality. Anything that happened yesterday didn't matter, what was important is today and what continues afterwards. She was glad to have broken up with her boyfriend, Changsub because work itself, was already taking a huge toll on herself.

"Good morning Sir." said Chorong, in a fake, happy and pleasant tone.

"Yes. I'm still writing down the final scenes. Yes, I'll have it printed once I've got the final copy up. Yes, I am aware of the deadline. Yes sir, yes. Sorry for the inconvenience. Yes, I'll get right to work immediately." said Chorong as she nodded and hung up, with another sigh leaving . The 26-year old had been working at the broadcasting company of KBS for about four years now as a writer. It was always a dream of hers but she never imagined that life would end up this way. She loved writing up new stories and scripts for future dramas or concepts of new reality or variety programs. But sometimes, creativity has it's limits and having a writer's block is the worst. With deadlines coming in through, Chorong had to rush. 

Brushing her teeth, wearing a new set of clothes and lightly putting makeup on, she rushed out of her door, out to the subway station and took a train to her office located right in the centre of the busy metropolitian city of Seoul. Taking the lift up to the seventh floor and tapping her card so that she could enter, she bowed and greeted her co-workers that were busy typing away at their computers. Seated at her cubicle, the girl left out another sigh as she the computer and settled her messy desk.

"Unnie, sighing will make you older." said a young girl from the cubicle next door. She was only a year into her new job and getting used to the whole environment. During her time, Chorong was her mentor and guided her through the whole process. Indeed, it was easily shown that Chorong was greatly respected by her co-workers and juniors because of her hardworking nature.

"Not time for jokes Namjoo-ya." said Chorong as she focused her eyes on her laptop, typing away in order to finish her last sentences of the copy.

"Rushing for a deadline? Okay, after this, let's chill and relax okay unnie?" said Namjoo as she looked at her senior with worry. Namjoo belonged to the PR department, in charge of promoting and advertising for various dramas and shows scheduled by the broadcasting station. It too, was not an easy task as she had to deal with several people and at times, she would often get pissed off at their irresponsible nature. But she knew, Chorong had suffered more than that. She was thankful for her unnie who took such good care of her, and hoped that she would find happiness. She was a dongsaeng who constantly worried for Chorong. 

Within one hour, the older girl worked in speed and silence as she sent the important e-mail to the printing department. As she stared at the time, it was just perfect to head down for lunch and returning just in time to have the printed papers collected.

"Namjoo-ya, let's go for lunch." said Chorong as she stretched her arms out wide with a groan.

"I was waiting for you to say that unnie. Let's go, I'm starving!" said Namjoo with a smile as the two headed downstairs to the canteen.

Seated at a table in the middle of the huge crowd, the two girls ate their food in silence as one was simply too hungry while the other was too deep into her own thoughts.

"Unnie." said Namjoo but the older girl didn't respond.

"Unnie!" said Namjoo as she waved her hand in front of her.

"Oh? What is it Namjoo-ya?"

"You're making me really worried. Did something happen last night?"

"It's nothing really. Eat up, we need to hurry back to the office." said Chorong with a smile. But instead, the younger girl placed her utensils down.

"Whenever you say that, it's never nothing. I'm not eating until you tell me what's up."

"You're really something Namjoo-ya...thanks...." said Chorong with a speechless laugh as she looked at her. Namjoo stared at her as if she was waiting for her to say something.

"Changsub and I broke up."

"YOU WHAT-" before Namjoo could even say anything else, Chorong quickly covered . Immediately, everyone stared at them.

"S-Sorry." apologized Namjoo as everyone simply continued whatever they were doing.

"You're too loud."

"Sorry. But really unnie, are you serious?"

"Yup."

"But why?"

"Things just didn't work out. Let's just keep that way shall we Namjoo-ya?"

"Unnie, sometimes men are just horrible people at times. It feels like they tell the truth but it's really all a lie. It's gonna be alright now unnie, join back the single life with me! I don't need a man in life anyway!"

"Yeah right, yesterday you were bragging about how handsome Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook was in latest Goblin episode" said Chorong as she rolled her eyes.

"U-Unnie!"

"I'm joking. Come on, eat up. We need to get back to work."

"By the way, a new intern is coming over right?"

"Yup. She's coming around 3pm. You'll be in charge of her. Just wait for Mina's call from the lobby."

"What? Me?"

"Yep. Good luck, sunbae-nim" teased Chorong with a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

 

At a neighbourhood hidden away from the busy city, was a small housing area that seemed more quieter and peaceful from the bustling city life. Inside a small, cramped apartment that seemed to belong to two people, a young girl was nervous as she looked at herself in the mirror. Doning a short hairstyle as she fixed her skirt, she wondered whether she should change her outfit again for the seventh time. There, she looked at the girl that continued to sleep throughout the afternoon and snored loudly.

"Unnie." said the girl as she went up to her bed and shook her ferociously. But there was no response.

"Oh god. UNNIE!!!!" shouted the girl again.

"Mmm.....what's up with all the noise Hayoung-ah?" mumbled the sleepy girl with a yawn, while rubbing her eyes.

"Unnie you promised to wake up and have lunch with me before I head off for my first ever job!" said Hayoung, feeling betrayed.

"Oh my, did I? How can I miss such an important moment for our Hayoungie? Alright, I'm up." said the girl sluggishly as she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"I can't believe her." sighed Hayoung as she then, turned her attention to double-check her materials so that she didn't miss anything else. It was written quite clearly on her face that was very, very nervous for her first job.

"By the way, why did you come back so late Eunji unnie?" asked Hayoung.

"Stuff." replied Eunji with a short answer as she combed her hair.

"Yeah right, stuff. You're always hiding things from me." pouted Hayoung.

"Aigoo, sometimes the youngest doesn't need to know much. After all, you'll know when you get older. Trust me Hayoung-ah. Come on, let's go get lunch." grinned Eunji as she playfully pinched Hayoung's cheeks, took and wore a pink cap over her head and began to walk out of the apartment.

"But I'm not a baby...." mumbled Hayoung as she followed her out.

The two had a light brunch at a modern cafe nearby, before parting ways to their own places.

"Unnie, are you coming back home early?" asked Hayoung as she held onto Eunji's hand, not wanting to let go.

"I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no. Why don't you go make some new friends at your new workplace? You can't possibly stay home and play computer games again."

"But....."

"Listen Hayoung-ah." said Eunji as she looked into her eyes and cupped her cheeks onto her palms.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's your first time working so of course, you'll be nervous. Everyone goes through that phase. Just take a deep breath, relax and do it like how you would normally do alright? I believe in my younger sister." smiled Eunji. Just by hearing those words, Hayoung smiled in relief.

"But I'm not your real sister...."

"Ah, who cares about that. Even if you're my step-sister, we're still family. So what if we have different surnames, once family, always family alright? Good luck today. You better text or call me once you've finished okay?" said Eunji as she walked off, while occasionally looking back to see her. The tall, young girl who seemed to have some burden lifted off her shoulders, was the new intern of KBS. Taking the subway down to the city and standing in front of the rather, intimidating office building where crowds were a common thing around, the girl gulped and proceeded to the counter at the front.

"Hello, I'm the new intern today. May I know where I'm supposed to go?" asked Hayoung nervously to the receptionist.

"Oh, please sit down over there and wait. I'll be calling the one of the staff over to guide you on everything."

"Alright, thank you." said Hayoung with a bow as she sat down at a small sofa tucked in the corner. Outside the window, she could see the large crowd outside as often, many fans would gather in hopes of seeing their favourite idols going in or out of the music recording station. Of course, she too was a fan of an idol. But not from an male idol group, Hayoung was a huge fan of the famous girl group Girls Generation especially member, Yuri in particular. Being able to have the opportunity to work at a broadcasting station was already a blessing for her. With that in mind, Hayoung vowed to work her hardest and make the most of it as an intern.

Soon, the lift at the lobby opened and a girl came out. She had her tag over her neck fully written as "Kim Namjoo" as she held onto another tag in her hand with the name "Oh Hayoung". After working for a year, Namjoo was unsure if she would be able to be a good senior to the new intern especially after being taken care of by her other seniors. She had other lingering and worrying thoughts like "What if the intern is a man?" "What if the intern doesn't do the work properly?" "What if the intern is just here to play around?" "What if the intern is rude and insults me?" A lot went through her mind, but she took a deep breath and went out to the lobby only to see a lonely short-haired girl sitting at the sofa as she stared out at the window. Just by looking from the back, she felt relieved already.

"Excuse me. Miss Hayoung-ssi?" asked Namjoo with utmost politeness.

"A-Ah, yes?" said Hayoung as she turned around and greeted Namjoo with a 90-degree bow.

"Oh my, no need with the super politeness. You must be the intern from Seoul University right?"

"Y-Yes" said Hayoun, stuttering nervously.

"Just be comfortable and treat me like I'm your friend, Hayoung-ssi. Come, let me show you around and tell you about what our company does. I'm Namjoo by the way. I'll be your guide and senior for the rest of your internship period. Hope we get along!" smiled Namjoo as she took out her hand for a shake.

"T-thank you. Please, take good care of me Namjoo sunbae-nim." smiled Hayoung as she shook her hand.

 

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

 

Afternoon working hours passed by quickly as it was really busy at KBS especially with the preparations of the weekly live broadcast, Music Bank. Namjoo spent time showing Hayoung around the building and her cubicle, while going through office ethics and her work responsibilities. Chorong on the other hand, managed to get her printed copies and handed them directly to her director at the highest floor. With that, the biggest burden on her shoulder had finally been lifted and she could at least, breathe a little with ease. With a few hours more before her work ends, Chorong wanted to take it easy as she pressed the button and waited for the lift to come down. It was then, her phone rang. One peek at who it was and the girl sighed yet again.

"Oh god, one after another." mumbled the girl to herself as she answered.

"Yes?"

"Do you know what day it is?"

"I know. It's Thursday. Look, I'll get it next week. I promise."

"You know how long you've delayed this already. Our boss can't keep waiting. I know you're hiding out there. You know you have the cash and yet, you refuse to give it to us."

"Like I said. Next week. Last one and I'll give you everything to pay off the debt."

"Well too bad Miss Park Chorong-ssi. You see, our boss is already very impatient with you. Don't worry, we'll end this very quickly. We're downstairs waiting for you. There's no way you're leaving until you pay us. See you later." said the voice as it hung up.

Another deep sigh left Chorong's mouth as her eyes wavered. One problem after another, life just doesn't seem to give her a break at all. She was well-aware of the debts she owed people, money was the few biggest problems and back in the past, she took out a lot of loans. She had been laying low and avoiding them but looks like, they really couldn't handle it anymore. With an image that a group of thugs were waiting for her downstairs, she thought that maybe she could take care of them in one go because of her experience in Hapkido. But yet again, she was just a woman. Frozen in front of the lift, Chorong was lost and cornered. Should she tell her co-workers for help? But she did not want to inconvenience them and if she did, everyone will know about her financial debt. It was then, a sudden thought struck in her mind. The paper that the stranger left behind in her room. Quickly rummaging in her pocket, the girl sighed in relief that she actually brought it along. Looking at the number, she was about to key it into her phone but then, stopped in uncertainity.

Can she trust this stranger? Will this stranger really save her? What if the stranger can't help her? A lot of things ran through her mind but, this was the only choice. With a press of a button, the call began to connect.

"So, you called." said the voice. It seemed to belong to a female.

"You said to call you if I need help." said Chorong in urgency.

"That's right. I was waiting for your call."

"Come to KBS Broadcasting Station now. I think there's a group of loansharks waiting for me downstairs. I...I can't go down."

"I see what the situation is now. Very well, I'll be there in 5 minutes and have the problem taken care of, Miss Park Chorong-ssi."

"Wait how did you know my name-" Before Chorong could even say anything, the phone hung up by itself. There was indeed a lot of mystery that shrouded behind this "stranger". Chorong had so many questions to ask but for now, she had to place her trust in her. Looking at her watch, she waited exactly five minutes and then, took the lift down to the lobby. It was near evening and it was sure to be empty, all the fans would've gone home and the morning crowd would have disappeared. By the time the lift opened, the girl hid behind the wall and took a sneak peek outside. There was no one around.

"Chorong-ssi, what are you doing?" asked the receptionist, Mina as she looked at her weirdly.

"Ah, no, it's nothing. Um, did you see like a big group of people around lately? Like maybe five minutes ago?" asked Chorong.

"Oh, that? Hmm, they did look pretty scary. I thought they were thugs. But then, this girl in a pink cap came over and said she wanted to talk to them. They went outside and I never saw them again." said Mina as she pointed outside.

"I see. Thanks Mina-ya." said Chorong as she proceeded to leave the building, tapped her card and headed outside where the sky was turning darker, evening was falling soon. She looked around in uncertainity, unsure what to expect or rather, whatever happened to the group of loansharks that threatened her awhile ago. Could that stranger really, have taken care of them? It can't be possible. It was then, her phone started to ring. It was the same number. It belonged to the stranger.

"Hello? Where are you? What did you just-"

"I've taken care of them. But of course, there's always a price to pay in return."

"What price?" said Chorong nervously.

"Walk about 200 meters upwards, you should be able to see a convenience store. Meet you over there." said the stranger as the call hung up. 

Feeling anxious, Chorong simply did what the stranger did. She walked upwards until there was a 7-Eleven nearby and upon entering, there was a lone girl in the same, exact pink cap casually drinking a can of coffee while seated at one of the tables.

"Do you wanna buy anything to eat? Or maybe a drink?" asked the girl.

"No...." replied Chorong as she just stared at her.

"Don't just stand there. Come, sit over here." said the girl as she signalled to the empty seat beside her.

"W..What happened to the loansharks?" 

"They're gone. I scared them off. But I think they'll still be back though. You best, be careful." said the girl as she sipped her coffee.

"I......I don't know how I'm supposed to thank you....I....."

"Chorong-ssi, I mean, can I just call you unnie? I don't like being formal and all that."

"Uh sure...go ahead...."

"Let's just get straight to the point." said the stranger as she put her chopsticks down.

"You and I, both have our own troubles. So let's make a deal. Let's help each other out. I'll do something with your debts or whatever that is and in return, you help with mine. It's an easy deal, no scam or cheating involved. Are you in?" said the stranger as she fixed her pink cap.

"But-"

"Are you in?"

Chorong hesitated. But after thinking for awhile, it seemed like she could trust her. It felt like she could trust the stranger even though they had never met before.

"F-Fine. I'm in." said Chorong after much thought.

"Wonderful." said the stranger with a smile.

"I'm Jung Eunji. Looks like we'll be seeing each other quite often, Chorong unnie." said Eunji as she took off her pink cap and took out her hand for a shake.

As Chorong shook her hand, it was warm yet comforting. Surprisingly, her hands were quite big and it almost wrapped hers like a blanket. With one look, she seemed like a friendly person with a rather, eye-catching smile. She wasn't sure who Eunji might be or what kind of story she has behind, but it looks like she can rest a little as she may have found the answer to solving her debts. But the question was, what is it that Eunji wants? Was meeting her a pure concidence or was it planned out all along? There are just so many mysteries that shrouded in the dark concerning this girl in the pink cap, it was the more reasons why Chorong accepted her deal. She was interested and curious as to who she was and what were her motives.

"Well then, see you later. We can arrange for a meet-up to discuss on solving your debts. After all, you seem busy." said Eunji as she stood up, crushed the empty coffee can that she just drank and smoothly threw it into the trash can at the far end.

"Okay....see you then....Eunji-ssi...." said Chorong with a bow.

"Don't call me that. It's a little uncomfortable. Just speak to me comfortably." said Eunji with a smile.

"Okay...Eunji-ya" said Chorong, waving at her as she looked outside of the window. What she had just saw, made her hand freeze. Eunji noticed that there was a sudden change in her expression as she too, took a peek outside. It was a man that looked like he was waiting for someone, covered in a hood and a mask, definitely a suspicious figure. But Chorong knew who it was at first glance. It was her ex-boyfriend, Changsub. 

The girl had wanted to cut all ties with him ever since his betrayal but she knew he was a stubborn man. No matter how much she had told him to end everything, he would still come back and plead for forgiveness. It was as if yesterday never happened.

"Is something wrong unnie?" asked Eunji who was about to leave, but she felt that she should stay.

"I'm sorry Eunji-ya. I think I need your help again." 

"Oh? Well, that would be a double-debt contract then." said Eunji with a smirk.

"W-Whatever. That guy out there....he's actually my ex-boyfriend and-"

"Ah, I get the situation. He's basically the type that is just clingy and won't let go huh? I see what's going on."

"I haven't even explained the situation..."

"It's okay. I already know how to solve this. Come on, unnie." said Eunji with a smile as she suddenly grabbed Chorong's hand and dragged her along, heading outside of the convenience store.

"What are you planning to do?" whispered Chorong as the two seemed to walk to an aimless direction, aware that Changsub was carefully following them from behind.

"Something that will make you really angry. Actually I don't know how you're going to react to this at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Anyways, unnie. Allow me to say sorry first."

"Huh?"

It was at that moment, the two stopped walking. This also made Changsub to suddenly stop as Eunji glared at him with a cheeky expression. The moment Eunji realised that he was staring at them, it was her chance. With quick hands, she grabbed Chorong's cheeks tightly and pulled her lips onto hers, kissing right in front of Chorong's ex-boyfriend, Changsub.

 

 

 

 

 

[END OF CHAPTER 1]

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Oh my, what do you think you're doing Eunji?! What kind of story lies behind Eunji, her motives as well as how this story will progress into something deeper? Do share your comments on the first chapter of "Strangers At First"! Thank you for reading and subscribing! I'll do my best to update soon :)