The first beat of my heart

You are the reason for that

This is the first time I'm experiencing this

Please take care of my heart from now on

Friday

All of the passing strangers greeted Lee Taemin at the front gate of the high school; he always had to smile half-heartedly on them. He thought of some things bothering his mind.

He thought of the time when he was on his previous school, the all-boys high school exclusively for sports-inclined students. He tried to remember the misery that he felt back at those times.

He didn’t want to go back there. The only regrettable thing he felt was that he never said to Krystal the truth of why he accepted their forbidden relationship and vowed to protect her at all costs.

“Krystal… it was a favor.” Silly him. He never intended to lie but because of the past, he was now happy. He met new friends that seemed to be reliable unlike to his school before in which only money matters the most.

A girl about his age came running. She was sweating all over and with a glued smile, she waved at him. He replied with a gentle smile. It was a genuine smile, in fact. She stopped momentarily then walked on the remaining meters. She was still wearing her wristband unconsciously just after their tennis club activities.

“Hey, where’s Krystal?” Taemin gladly offered her his handkerchief.

“I don’t know.” Sulli, tired from everything, gladly accepted it. “…Thank you.” She still huffed and puffed but she tried to make it hidden and covered it with a bright grin.

“You’re really weird.” Taemin tried to . “Why do you even need to run?” He patted her head.

“Well, it’s because I thought that I’m the last one.” She pouted.

“Hey! Krystal!” Taemin saw Jung Krystal from a distance. Sulli looked at the same direction.

“OH!” Sulli waved back excitedly. She approached Krystal and nagged at her best friend. “Let’s go now to the mall, please~” She was doing aegyo again.

“Pfft.” Taemin laughed at her childish ways of taking care of things.

“But, I’m tired.” Krystal didn’t have the vigor to go to the mall and have a stroll there.

“But, still…you..you promised.” Sulli showed to Krystal her pinky. “We swore, right?” She chuckled a little.

The forced Krystal could just laugh at her. “But, it would be boring if it would be the only three of us.” Krystal looked cunningly at Lee Taemin. The guy sensed it and had a worried look. “Why don’t we invite Sica-unnie?”

“Is that all right?” Sulli was also bewildered the reversal.

Did she know about our plan?

“Hey…you’re sweating all over.” Krystal smirked impishly at her. “Don’t worry. I think I just have to do this for my mom. So, she could be happy. Don’t you think?” She glanced back at Taemin, waiting for him to answer.

Sulli couldn’t catch up and just went with their pace.

The whole atmosphere was very gloomy in the car and with the three of them. They fetched Jessica in the Jung Residence, also ready to go because she was obliged not that she liked.

Jessica saw the ambiance that was set in the car. She sat next to Taemin. Krystal sulked; if it was the old Krystal she’d be happy to be throwing daggers at her for stealing her boyfriend. Sulli jolted, checking the weird circumstances she got on. She noticed her eerie frown and leaned at her shoulder,  “Yah! Soojung-ah, don’t get too worried.”

Krystal didn’t reply. She instead ignored her and closed her eyes.

After a few more minutes, they alighted at the biggest shopping mall in the city. Sulli stretched out her hands to the sky and looked at the smiling moon on them. “Wahhh…”

Taemin noticed her. “It’s good, right? The bright moon is really nice.”

“Mnmm…” Sulli nodded. Taemin glanced unexpectedly at Sulli. He looked at her face. He became as red as a strawberry and tried to cover his face with his arms.

“What is it?” Krystal interrupted the two of them. She lugged Taemin at the entrance of the mall.

Inside the Mall

Taemin couldn’t calm down and was really annoyed about Krystal. Krystal didn’t mind him and tried to enter a clothes store. Jessica and Sulli followed around.

“Yah!” Taemin touched his wrist. “Do you want to break my wrist?”

“Oppa…” Krystal smiled back and said, “Wait for me here. I’ll try different clothes.” Krystal went around the clothesline. The clothes she had wanted to try on piled up like a mountain. She was grinning all the time, but who knows what she’s up to?

“What happened to her?” Taemin couldn’t erase the annoyance on his memories. He sat down on a seat next to Sulli. He looked at his cellphone and checked for emails from his soccer friends and other irrelevant things.

“Sulli-ah” Jessica called out to Sulli. She immediately stood up as she saw Krystal’s unnie waving at her to come. “Did you meet Heechul-oppa already?”

“Ne…” She shyly uttered. She remembered the day when Kim Heechul promised to change her into someone else. An eternal butterfly, as what she had wanted. But, she felt that the question was far too eerie. She couldn’t contain her curiosity and whispered at her unnie, “Mnmm…Why?”

“No…it’s because Taemin had been in love with Heechul-oppa’s girlfriend. That girlfriend of his is a friend of mine in college. She’s very kind and thoughtful. We used to hang out with each other including Oppa, Taemin and Krystal, maybe that time was when Krystal just got to know you. “

“Why are you telling me this?” Sulli’s hands trembled. She didn’t notice it but her eyes were already watery. The other half of the story didn’t sound good to hear for her.

“It’s because… Taemin had fallen in love with my best friend all along, even now. He desperately wanted her to come back. The only favor that he needed to do is to make us closer.”

“I don’t…” She shook her head in denial. “I don’t get the point.”

“Sulli-ah, you like---“

“What are you two talking about?” Taemin got between the two of them. He touched Sulli’s trembling shoulder. “Hey, you’re sweating a lot.”

“I…I gotta go to the bathroom.” She excused herself. She walked faster and faster as she wanted to desperately get out. She didn’t know what she feels but it suffocated her and all she needed was a space to breathe on.

She arrived at the bathroom. She splashed her face with running water. One couldn’t distinguish already if they were tears or just water.

I know that I couldn’t like him. I know that I couldn’t fall in love with him. I hate myself so much.

She sobbed like a small kid. She went out of the bathroom and wanted to go home already. She walked to any direction her feet lead her to. She just wanted to stop the overflowing tears on her face.

Taemin’s POV(Minutes after Sulli’s walkout)

“I…I’ll go check on her.” Why did it feel like she was suffering already? Do I need to go and comfort her? Suddenly, a hand grabbed my wrist.

“Where are you going?” It was Krystal.

“Why?” I looked at my surroundings. I after all unknowingly left the clothes store to chase after Sulli. What am I thinking?

“I… I’m your GIRLFRIEND!” Krystal was already at the brink of tears. I tried to face her and wiped off the tears running down her cheeks. But, she didn’t stop. Her face was very pitiful. I don’t know what to do. The thing I just saw was the smirking Jessica-noona at the side.

“Taemin…go after her.” She’s sending me away. Why? Is she on her side? “Follow you heart.” She took away Krystal to a place I didn’t know.

“Unnie!!!” Krystal bellowed. I hate to see her cry but it suffocated me to see her face in grief. I don’t want her to be sad and lonely. I’m really despicable. Krystal tried to set free from her sister but she couldn’t.

“Go!” That was the last word Noona said to me. I found myself already running with a speed of a short-distance runner and a determination of a champion. I felt that I have a race to finish and that the finish line was at her side.

I looked at each place I could look for. I’m really getting dizzy. What if she went home already? What if she was suffering alone again?

Sitting on the stair, there sat a lonely young girl. Her pale skin showed her outer and inner beauty. Her skin was really long and pretty. Am I falling in love?

“Sulli…” I called out to her. I’m afraid the she’d ignore me. She slightly tilted her head, she stood up and hug…ged me. “Are you alright?”

“I…I thought that I couldn’t go home...” Still sniffing, she really did panic. “My…things are in the car and I don’t know what to do. I’m lost.”

I patted her back. She seemed to calm down. “It’s alright, I’m here. Let’s go home. The department store is about to close.”

“Mnmmm…” She followed me around; clinging on my coat like a child would do to her mother.

END OF POV

The party had been grouped again ready to go home. There was no nervousness but no talking. There was silence but no peace. It was a very contradicting kind of scenario to where one couldn’t find where he belongs to. They quietly passed the streets then went to the Choi Residence. Sulli shyly bid farewell to everyone but Krystal ignored her presence.

Sulli tilted her head as she saw the distancing car from her point of view. She was afraid of Krystal and even more afraid of what more to come.

But, she realized one thing.

It was this one thing that couldn’t be denied anymore.

She had officially experienced her first love. But, she knew that it couldn’t be as easy as what she imagined of. There would be more challenges and obstacles along the way.

Who knows where her feelings would lead her?

She sat on the couch. There, she heard her mother’s voice. She was on a business trip but dropped by to say a message.

“Sulli-ah, from this day on, a friend of mine’s daughter and her cousin would be living with you.” And, that was how the message went on. She tried to replay that message but she couldn’t think of what more. “What? I’d be leaving with strangers from now on?!”

She tried to mail her mother. But, she didn’t respond to any of her texts. “Why’s this day so strange?”

Back at the Jung Residence

Krystal and Jessica alighted. Now, their relationship seemed to be fine and going smoothly. Their plan unexpectedly had good sides to it.

Taemin ushered Krystal up to the gates. Krystal didn’t say any words or goodbye to him. Up until, “Taemin, let’s break up.”

“What?!” He was taken aback. “What is this? What are you thinking about? I don’t know what…”

“I just thought that since my relationship with my sister has been repaired. You don’t need to keep up with the promise a year ago. You don’t have to go out with me.” She smiled forcedly. She didn’t want him to look more and said, “Goodbye, Taemin-ah. I wouldn’t say Oppa anymore. You’re not my Oppa(meaning he’s not her boyfriend anymore). “

“Wait…” Taemin grabbed her wrist. “Could we still be friends?”

“I don’t know. Leave me alone to think, kay?”

As the gates closed down to the two of them, tears fell like crystals to Soojung. She sobbed and sobbed till she couldn’t cry anymore.

“I… I’m an idiot. To be crying for someone who doesn’t cry for me. At least, I had learned to experience the feeling of a broken heart.”

There were knocks at the door. It was Jessica.

She sat on her bedside. “Are you okay?”

“What do you think?” Krystal tried to avoid her piercing eyes.

“I’d be going back tomorrow. Send me off, kay? Do you think you’d be fine alone now? You don’t have him by your side now.”

“I know. I could go on. I won’t be the same Krystal as what they had known of me.”

“That’s my sister.” Jessica wrapped Krystal on her arms, tightly and warmly.

“Unnie… could time really heal all wounds?”

“What do you think? It treated me. Someday, you would find the person right for you…”

“…I’m sure he’ll come. With a smiling face, he’d walk with you through thick and thin wait for him.” Jessica touched her head.

“Thank you for being my sister.” Krystal kissed her sister on the cheek. “I’m really lucky.” She winked. “Could you sleep beside me? I really miss your company.”

“Sure.” Jessica’s and Krystal’s expressions while sleeping were priceless, enough for all of the boys to go after them.

Nearing dawn (2 AM)

“Hello?!” Sulli still half-asleep heard some knocks at the door. They became louder. She was scared so she brought a broom with her to open the door.

“Oh....is this really the right residence?” A woman’s voice was heard from the outside. Sulli tried to feel the surroundings. She thought of the burglars or trespassers in the neighborhood but there was no one who was not caught or still on run.

“What to do?” She prayed hard as she opened the door. There was someone peeping through the door. Not, someone but two people waving at her.

“Hey…you’re Sulli, right?” The woman yelled her name.

“I said to you she’s still the Sulli in the picture.”

“What are you doing in my house?”

“Eii…didn’t Madame introduced as already.”

“I’m Han Geun Young… I’d be leaving with you already.” She smiled gratefully.

“Let us go inside. You must’ve forgotten about me to have that gloomy expression.” The young boy about his age tried to open the gates.

“Fine…” Sulli was obliged to welcome them. She offered them drinks. “Why are you two here?”

“Well…I got a call from my best friend that someone wanted me to go back to Seoul—“ Geun Young looked at Sulli who locked her eyes to the boy next to her.

“Ah…he’s my cousin. I think you two are about the same age.” She gladly introduced him but he just shoved her away.

“Tsk. I’m Kim Jong In. It’s really disappointing we’re childhood friends for as long as I could remember.”

He offered his hand to her.

She reached for it.

And, that was how the Second Arc of this story goes.

The two of them shaking hands is a premonition of something that would be revealed soon.

Secrets, feelings intertwined, a blossoming love, friendships and broken hearts, what is more to be included?