‘Changmin, you sure you won’t be joining us tonight?’



The concert has finally come to an end.

It was a successful one; but the sense of satisfaction could not cease the feeling of woe building inside me.


I guess it’s been made clear that she has decided to leave.


‘Yup,’ I said to my teammates, pretending not to be bothered by her departure, ‘you guys go ahead and have fun.’


It was nearing eleven, and I did not want to linger any longer. I put on my beanie and hauled up my sling bag.


‘See you guys in another two weeks,’ I said, heading towards the door.

As I was stepping out, a hand grabbed me by the arm – it was Yunho. He gave me a punch on the shoulder followed by a tight hug; and the rest of the members did the same. I’m sure they were already aware about her disappearance. It’s a good thing they’ve chosen not to mention about her.


‘Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me,’ said Yoochun, obviously trying to cheer me up with his killer smile which never works on me. Actually, it does, but in a comical way.


‘Beep you. ‘Beep’ you. That sounds so wrong,’ I replied with slight enthusiasm. The four TVXQ members laughed hysterically.


‘Hyung,’ I said to Yunho, ‘please make them stop, its not funny.’


‘Changmin,’ Yunho said, patting my shoulder, ‘you need to relax. Cool it. Have fun during your vacation alright?’


‘Yeah,’ said Jaejoong, budging in between me and Yunho, ‘call us when you need us; you don’t have to beep us though,’ he said, and the hysterical laugh starts all over again. And It's not even funny to start with.

At this moment I grabbed the golden opportunity to leave, before I get infected with this insanity.




Not even a single soul recognized me as I walked out of the stadium, clad in a windbreaker, the jeans I wore earlier during the concert, and my face covered behind a facemask. You see, I’m really just an ordinary guy. I’m a normal person. Maybe that’s why I don’t deserve a girl like her.



As I approached the bus stop, a bus rode along. Sharing transportation with thirty over strangers to get home used to be something I did everyday in the past. Now it’s something I could only do when I get my vacations.


Abruptly, my cellphone rang, pulling me away from my sea of thoughts. I was only a centimeter away from reaching for it from my pocket when I felt someone leaning on my back.


I’ve always had a high threshold towards the many fanatical doings of our fans but today, my tolerance level seems to have subsided a lot. I turned behind, and was not at all surprised to see that thickly spectacled short schoolgirl janitor for the forth time today.


As I shot a stern glance at her I saw an old guy tagging closely behind her.





That would be her dad, I assume.





Both physically and emotionally exhausted to respond, I turned back and pulled my beanie a little lower. Today is supposed to be a day of celebration; it’s the first day of my long awaited vacation after all. Instead, I got dumped, my digestive system went haywire, and I had a total of four bizarre encounters with this thickly spectacled short schoolgirl janitor who just couldn’t get enough of me.


To my distress - instead of leaving me alone, she tapped me on my shoulder, demanding me to face her.



She is so gonna get from me. Not.



A teary-eyed girl should never be ticked off – lucky thing I was fast enough to shut up before giving her a piece of my mind. There she was, looking at me as if I’ve made her life miserable. So I assume she's crying because she had an argument with her dad; but then again, why is her dad standing at such close proximity if that is so?



Nearing a bus stop the vehicle came to a halt, the inertia forcing her to fall onto me. It was a confusing moment – people were gushing out of the bus, but there I was, trying to balance myself while holding on to that girl, which just puzzles me even more – the fact that there was even physical contact with a stranger I just met.



She pulled away. She got off the bus. She left me dumbfounded. For a second I forgot that I have reached my destination too.



Luckily I looked out and hopped off in time before the bus continued its’ routine. Before I left, I noticed the old man relocating himself next to another schoolgirl.


Even from afar I can see her hurrying off to God-knows-where, bumping into others and apologizing along the way. What a weird person. But one's thing for sure, I will not see her ever again. Good riddance to you.



It’s a ten minute walk from the bus stop to my house. I strolled along the nearly empty street, recollecting the fond memories of my childhood.


As I was approaching the 24-hour convenience store, my cellphone rang again.



‘Oppa, get me choco-pies along the way,’ Ji Eun bellowed over the phone.
‘Have you finished your dinner?’
‘Du-uh, look at the time. I’ve even taken my supper,’ she said proudly.
‘Since you have taken supper, I see no need in buying choco-pies. I’m sure omma has bought tons of other stuff for you,’ I said. ‘Get omma on the line.’
‘Oppa, why don’t you ever use the word ‘please’?’ said Ji Eun.
‘I don’t hear you saying ‘please’ when you want food,’ I answered.


‘Changmin ah,’ said my mom, taking over the line, ‘are you on the way home?’
‘Uh, yes, omma,’ I gulped. I regret asking for her, because this would be when she asks-
‘Is she with you?’


She, refers to my ‘fiancé’. Ex-fiancé, to be exact.


‘Erm, not at the moment…’ I stammered.



How am I supposed to explain this to her?



‘So, she will be joining us later? What time will she come?’ mom asked enthusiastically.

‘Erm…’



Impossible as it seems, since the street was almost empty, I accidentally bang into someone. It was a bad collision, my sling bang slid off my shoulders and my belongings scattered everywhere. And guess who I've bang into?


It was Elf; the thickly spectacled short schoolgirl janitor.



I would have just shrugged, collect my stuff and walk away if Elf hadn’t spilled her strawberry milk on my favourite pair of outfit – it’s an eight hundred thousand won windbreaker we’re talking about here.


‘I’m really sorry, sir!’ Elf said, bowing 90 degrees repeatedly. Apparently she still hasn’t realized that it was me, Shim Chang Min; whom she has inflicted many troubles upon. Bet she hasn’t a single idea about who she is messing with.


Terrified to look up, she quickly got down and started clearing up the mess, apologizing non-stop.


I knelt to do the same.



‘Are you always this careless?’



And that wasn’t a just a casual question. It was a statement.


Elf stopped her sorry-chant and finally took a look at me. Her expression spells H-O-R-R-O-R.


Quickly, she gathered her stuff and stood up. Looking indignant, she poured her remaining strawberry milk on me and walked off. The strawberry milk smelled so sweet that you could get diabetics just by inhaling its scent.


‘Changmin? Changmin??’ my mom yelled over the phone.



Damn, mom’s still on the line.



‘Yes, omma, I’m here,’ I said, stabilizing the phone near to my ear with my shoulders, collecting my scattered properties at the same time. ‘Sorry.’


‘Who was that? I hear a girl apologizing to you,’ she said.


‘Erm…well…’ I stammered for a moment as I noticed an unfamiliar white cellphone lying in the midst of my belongings. Filled with curiousity, I explored its’ contents. This clearly belongs to Elf; the one with major narcissism. Who would set such a hideous picture as wallpaper?


‘Changmin! What happen?’ mom continued nagging on the phone, demanding clarification.


‘Omma, can you hold on for a second?’ I said, browsing through her contacts.


I saw a contact titled ‘Mrs. Shim-landlady’; followed by a very familiar number. Then came other familiar names like ‘Ji Yeon’, ‘Ji Eun’, ‘Mr. Kim-pizza boss’ and so on.


‘I don’t understand you, Shim Chang Min, why are you treating your mother like this? Here I am asking you a question but you keep on waving me off, I just don’t-

‘Omma,’ I interrupted, ‘is that girl, who rents room from us, called Yuri?’

‘That’s right. I thought I mentioned to you regarding this before?’ she responded with surprise.




An extremely risky but yet out-of-the-world idea came to my head.



‘Anyway omma, you were wondering about the girl apologizing to me earlier?’

‘Must be a fan of yours,’ mom replied monotonously.




‘She’s not just a fan, omma; she’s my fiancé.’