Chapter four – arrogant prince in his shining armor.

After doing my homework, my day would always be completely free. Having absolutely nothing to do but watch TV or something. I never went out of the house. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go out, but that I couldn’t. I lived merely a thirty minute drive away from Seoul. And I didn’t have a car. I was underage; I couldn’t have a license either.

Bored, I fell onto my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of what to do. Normally, I’d watch One Piece or Kurosuji but that specific day, I didn’t feel like watching anything.

I was lying on my bed like that for exactly twenty minutes before I received a text from Mihi.

/Yuri-ah! Let’s go shopping! My oppa is giving us a ride to Myeongdong⁽¹⁾! I’ll pick you up in thirty!/

My mood brightened up after seeing the message. At least I’d have something to do!

I quickly changed into an orange flutter tee matching with some rust slouch pocket shorts and a white African bangle set. Snatching a Barrettali bag, I slipped my feet into a brown pair of sandals and rushed downstairs quickly with my cellphone on my hand.

“Where are you going?” Woohyun oppa, who was in the living room watching himself on TV, asked.

“Shopping. Want to come?” I asked.

“You weren’t like this when you came home from school.” He said, eying me.

“Yeah, well, I feel better now that I know I have something to do. So, you coming?” I asked, getting impatient.

“Aish, no. I just asked.” he said, rolling his eyes and got back to watching TV. Did I mention that he was watching himself on TV? Gosh, he was so full of himself.

Since my house was pretty far away from hers or anyone else’s, I figured that it would probably take some time for Mihi to get there. I grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and sat next to Woohyunoppa with my legs crossed.

Then I began thinking. It took me thirty minutes to drive home from school. NU’EST lived right next door. Yet they walked home? Even if they were boys, they’d obviously get tired. And from dancing like how they were…

“Earth to Nam Yuri!” Woohyun oppa said, waving his hand in front of my eyes. “Come in, Nam Yuri.” He grinned.

“What is it, oppa?” I asked, taking a bite from the apple.

“You were lost, just now.” He said. “But I was saying. Do you know anything about the boys who recently transferred?” 

“Why?”

“I’m curious. Just tell me!” he begged.

“Well, the others say they’re a gang called NU’EST. That they were expelled from their previous school due to some discipline problems. And when they came to school today, they stepped on every single rule made in the school.” I said.

“I figured they would.” He said. “From the way they were dressed.” He quickly added when I gave him a blank stare.

“There’s JR. His real name is Kim Jonghyun. He’s the leader. And then there’s Aron Kwak. He’s a year older than me. Then Kang Dongho, Hwang Minhyun and Choi Minki.Dongho is usually called Baekho and Minki is called Ren. Ren is the youngest among them.”

“Wow, stalker much?” Woohyun oppa said, raising an eyebrow.

“Information credit to Dong Mihi. There’s nothing she doesn’t know and goes on in school.”  I added, sticking my tongue out at him.

“About JR. Do you know any more about him? He looks sort of familiar.”

“JR O-” I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying oppa. “JR? Oh..him? Not much. But it turns out that they live right next door. I went to give them muffins yesterday. JR seemed to like them a lot. He came to me after school and asked me if I could make him more.”

“Uh, look. I know it might not be my place to say thing since I haven’t given a about your life but…” he said and took the apple from my hand and held them. “I don’t think it’s wise to mix with them. You said they’re a gang. I know you like things to be improper but maybe they’re too much.” He stared into my eyes. “Try to keep your distance.”

All I could do then…was to stare back.

-

“Mihi-ah, let’s go to the guitar shop, please?” I said, staring at the guitar shop in a distance. “We haven’t even been to the instrument shops and your hands are already full.”

“Uh, sorry Yuri-ah! Go on ahead, I’ll put these in oppa’s car and join you, okay?” she said and looked at her brother who was standing next to her. he groaned.

“I wish Yuri was my little sister instead.” He said, pouting.

“You’ll live,oppa.” I grinned as I handed him my bags. “I’ll see you soon.”

I waited until the siblings had stared to leave before heading towards the guitar shop. That shop was my heaven. I was well acquainted with the shop’s owner, Yong Inyong, and he let me play in there. I wasn’t able to buy one since I my mother might not approve so I paid Inyongajussi to play his guitar in the shop. But lately, I had talked to my mother about it and she didn’t seem to care. And that was enough of an okay for me to buy the guitar.

“Anneyognhaseyo, Inyong ajussi.” I greeted as I walked into the shop.

“Ah, my Princess Yuri is here. Have you told your mother about the guitar?” he asked.

“Yes. And she doesn’t mind. Do you have any suggestions, ajussi?” I asked him.

“I’ve been saving one for you, you know.” He grinned as he led me deeper into the store. When we got inside, he told me to sit as he went to get the guitar.

“Hot pink.” He said as he brought the guitar out. I smiled as I got my hands on the guitar. It was one thing that made me feel happy, the acoustic guitar.

I placed my hands in the correct positions and tried to play Infinite’s Can You Smile but…

“Ajussi, the color is really distracting.” I whined.

He laughed. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t like hot pink. So I got white here too.” he said and brought out another guitar. A white one, this time, as he said.

“Why did you even offer me the hot pink one when you had this? I love this!” I said, placing my hands in the correct positions.

“Play. I want to hear you play.” He said.

Without hesitating for a second, I began playing Infinite’s Can You Smile. It was a song I loved which Woohyunoppa composed. When we went over to Infinite’s dorm, Myungsoooppa would lend me his guitar so I could play while they sang. It was refreshing to do that.

A man with a nice voice was always my ideal type. Ever since I heard my oppa’s voice, I had wanted to get married to someone who could sing nicely.

“And can you smile,” I was surprised to hear someone sing while I was playing. But I didn’t allow myself to get distracted. I played. His voice, whoever he was, was really enchanting. It felt freshening to listen to it.

Once the song was over, I looked up to see who it was. I almost dropped the guitar out of my hand.

“YOU!” we both yelled at each other.

It was Hwang Minhyun.

I groaned as I put the guitar aside. I had been completely focused on playing, no wonder he couldn’t see my face and I couldn’t see his.

When I looked around, Inyongajussi was long gone.

“You play surprisingly well.” He said, sitting down next to me, trying to start a conversation.

“You sing surprisingly well too.” I muttered, rather halfheartedly. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a free country.” He said as he the guitar. “How long have you played?”

I rolled my eyes and looked away. “I learned how to play from Myungsoo oppa when he was assigned to the same group as Woohyunoppa before they debuted.” I said.

“That’s nice.”

For moments, we sat there like that. It felt really awkward. Then I started thinking strange things. If it was a movie, it would be the guy playing the guitar and the girl singing. In our current situation, it was the complete opposite.

“Can you play again?” he asked, handing me the guitar. I was surprised by his sudden request but a request to play the guitar was something I could not turn down.

When he handed the guitar, it didn’t feel like the Minhyun I had met in school. His touch was gentle and almost…

“What should I play?” I asked him, trying to get rid of all unnecessary thoughts in my mind.

“Your brother is in Infinite, you’d know their songs’ acoustic versions, right?” he said.

“I know other songs too. How about the acoustic version of Jungah’sYou’re Cute?” I suggested.

“We’ll stick to Nothing’s Over. I’ve never sang a song which was sung by a woman.” He said.

Shrugging, I began to play again. He sang along. It felt almost as good as when I played with Infinite. Only…since it was both of us, I felt even better.

“Nothing’s Over~” Just as we got to the middle, Minhyun got a call.

“Oh. It’s Aron hyung. I’ll be back.” He said and got up to leave. I just nodded.

Just a few hours ago we were throwing daggers at each other and now he was throwing hearts at me. Or whatever.

I was just randomly playing, waiting for Minhyun to come back until some other guys came. Until some other guys came and began hitting on me.

“Oh, such a cute babe with a guitar, play for us, sweetie?” at first, they began like that. But when I didn’t answer them and stayed silent, things got worse. I actually began praying for Minhyun to come back quick.

“Come on, hot stuff. Come with us. We can play together at a club. It’ll be fun.”

“I’m back, princess. Friends of yours?” it was then that Minhyun decided to appear. For the first time, I saw him smiling. He looked charming.

“Uh..” I just sat there speechless.

“Who are you? Go get another girl, this one’s ours.” One of the men who came growled at him. Minhyun’s smile changed into a glare when he looked that man.

“Do you know them, baby?” he asked, still glaring at that man. Then he turned to me. “Do you?”

His voice was sweet when he turned to me and talked but rough as a growl when he was staring at the man.

I quickly shook my head no.

“My girlfriend said she doesn’t know you. And she apparently doesn’t want you around. Are you going to leave nicely or should I make you leave?” he growled at the men.

“What are you going to do, kid?” the man challenged. Before I knew what was going on, Minhyun threw a fist at the man’s face. I gasped as I saw blood oozing out of the man’s mouth. That was from one punch?

Groaning, he sat up straight and motioned to his other friend. He nodded and made a grab for my arm. I let out a shriek and tried to wriggle my wrist free. I the next moment, Minhyun was grabbing the wrist of the person who grabbed my wrist.

He twisted it. The man let out a wail of agony. “Let my girl go.” He growled, word by word. As soon as the guy let go, abandoning the guitar, I rushed behind Minhyun.

“Ca..can we go? Please..” I begged.

He took a look at me and then turned to he men and glared at them.

“What are you waiting for?” he growled. “Get out!”

The two men rushed out as fast as they could. Minhyun turned to me.

“You’re such a weakling.” He said. I wasn’t able to say anything. Even though he was insulting me now, I owed him my life.

“Yuri-ah!” I heard a shout. Without any hesitation, Minhyun dashed away.

“Yuri-ah! Some freaky looking people just ran out with blood on their face. Did you see them?” Mihi asked.

I nodded without a smile.

“What’s wrong?” Mihi asked again.

“They were after me.” I muttered.

“What? But they’re gone now, it’s okay. Who did that to them?” Mihi asked.

I looked at the way Minhyun had gone. “An arrogant prince in his shining armor.”

^x_x^x

⁽¹⁾ Myeongdong­– An area famous for its shopping sites in South Korea.

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A/N: dun dun dun! today's update! things really do go well for me when i have no tution. =^^=

looks like arrogant prince is arrogant prince no longer. maybe just prince? he totally bid goodbye to his arrogance when he beat up those people. how many of you thought it was cute when minhyun called yuri baby? i know i did! i loved writing that scene. x3

as for minhyun's voice. isn't it just intoxicating to hear? yuri fell in love with it at once, didn't she? poor girl. how can she hate someone with such an amaging voice? she knows she can't.

also, she's living a really tough life don't you think? double life, one as the perfect princess and the other as the gangsters' loving princess. she's having a hard time coping with the fact that she can't tell mihi.

moreover, minhyun showing her another side has put her into a state of complete unsablitiy. she puts the blame on him for making her look so vulnereable to the bastards yet is ever so grateful to him for saving her. she doesn't know which side of him is true. the kind and sweet side he showed to her in myeongdong or the badass, i-don't-care side he shows in school.

tough life for the girl, isn't it?

so, my dear reader, what do you think would become of her? see that button up there 'subscribe'? click it! don't worry too much because soon, you'll find out! because all my subbers are always loved. ♥ enjoy reading, people!

UPDATE: yes, i know. i only just found the clip of minhyun singing can you smile, so here it is! jr is really annoying, isn't he? :P