FIRST
Heater
•Chohee's POV•
"T-Taeyeon?!" Mir says, surprised.
"Annyeong Oppa!~~" The Taeyeon girl waves enthusiastically. I frown. Who is she... Who is she to Mir?
"Er, annyeong... What're you doing here?" Mir asks, sitting up. There's a hint of unease in his voice but it's like he's happy to see her too.
"I called your phone and no one picked up but I thought you'd be here! You're always here... And then when I got here, someone told me that you had gone to the backyard. I never knew it was a beach though!" The girl giggles and spins.
I make a face to myself then stand up. Facing Mir with my back to the random girl, I say, "Er, I'll go in first then."
"Oh, annyeong!" The girl says and I know she's talking to me.
Well aware of mannerisms, I force myself to turn and greet the girl. "Annyeonghaeseyo."
"I'm Taeyeon, are you the girl Mir tutors?" She asks. Her voice is high-pitched and too peppy for me. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Neh, I'm Lee Chohee." I bow ever so slightly. "Well then...Goodbye."
Without waiting for an answer, I coldly walk by the girl. I don't want to be outside anymore. The sun is too bright and the wind is blowing the sand into my eyes. How annoying. I want to be with Mir but not if she's around. I know her type, the ones who shines. If I stand beside her, she'll outshine me, and I'll be left as a cold, dark shadow.
•Mir's POV•
"Aigoo.... How cold." Taeyeon hisses, watching Chohee walk back. I frown. It seems Taeyeon is back to the new-Taeyeon, but her timing is still the worst ever. Did she have to come right when I was having a moment with Chohee?
I groan in frustration.
"Ya Oppa, is she always like that?" Taeyeon asks me, stepping closer to me. "When you talk about her you make her sound so important and great... Seems like an ordinary person to me. Aside from the fact that she has a mansion and her backyard is a beach!... Even I'm not that rich."
"She not usually like that," I explain, feeling defensive for Chohee's sake.
"Oh, Oppa, why are you soaking?" Taeyeon asks, having finally noticed, totally ignoring my statement.
"Chohee and I were just taking a break from studying." I say and stand to follow after Chohee. Man, I never even got to hear the rest of her story... "Taeyeon, I think you should go. I've already missed enough lessons with Chohee, I need to focus."
I start to pass by Taeyeon when she pulls me to a stop. She grasps my wrist.
"Kajima." She says in a low and pleading voice. I freeze. "Kajima. I don't want to get married. Please don't send me off like my parents are. You're the last person I have. Chulyeong-ah, jebal."
I lower my head in turmoil. Taeyeon needs me... But I've already ditched Chohee so many times. She probably thinks bad of me now... Aishh, eotteokae?!
"Tae–"
"Oppa jebal. Don't leave me for that girl. I know your dense, but–" Taeyeon starts, her voice a little pleading and strained.
"Mir."
My head snaps in the direction of the voice behind me.
I see my savior. "Sooki..."
"Must I remind you, that you're being paid by the hour. I hope you're not wasting time. You are on the job, right now." Sooki stares at me with a hard look, her arms crossed over her chest. This is the first time I've ever seen Sooki mad before. It sends a shiver down my spine and almost totally wipes away all my guilt of having to leave Taeyeon.
"Oh ugh, right. Sorry Taeyeon..." I gently pry her fingers off of my wrist. "I'll see you later." Don't look back Mir, I think to myself as I pick my shoes up and walk back to Chohee's house, Don't look back or else you'll feel guilty.
But despite myself, I look back. Taeyeon watches me go with a sad look. I force myself to turn around and continue walking. But I'm surprised. I'm not as hurt leaving Taeyeon behind as I thought I would be.
•Sooki's POV•
"Darin," I call another maid once I've returned inside the mansion from dealing with Mr. Lee's cars outside.
"Neh?" The maid answers.
"Where are Mir and Chohee?" I ask, looking over at the abandoned work in the living room.
"Ah, they are in the back. Mr. Mir brought Miss Lee to the beach with a container of watermelons. Would you like me to call them in?" Darin asks.
"Ani," I shake my head, a smile on my face. "We'll leave those two alone."
I'm about to turn and leave Darin when she adds, "Oh, they're not alone."
"Pardon? Who's with them?" I curiously ask.
Darin shrugs, "I'm not sure who she is, but she came by while you were in the west driveway and was asking for Mir. She seemed very nice and polite, so I told her that he was in the backyard, but he's currently with a client. She just smiled at me and went back there."
"Oh... Alright, kamsamhamnida Darin. Please return to your duties," I bow to her and she bows back. She goes to leave and I walk to the back door.
I pause. Something seems fishy... A young girl looking for Mir? And she came all this way? Does Mir have a sister? I should go check on them...
I push open the door to the backyard beach and spot the three of them far along the shore. Mir and Chohee are seated while the unknown girl stands, clearly having just arrived.
I begin walking towards them when Chohee suddenly stands. She has her back to the girl, and ultimately me too, and speaks incoherently to Mir. When she turns and starts to walk away, the girl speaks to her and I see fire flare in Chohee's glass eyes.
Chohee, growing up in a well-mannered home, responds to everything that the girl says and then leaves with a slight bow. She picks up her shoes and is now making her way towards me.
"Chohee–" I start, but she walks right by me. "Chohee." I say more sternly and grab her wrist.
"Neh, Unnie?" She says through clenched teeth.
"Who's that girl?" I ask, jerking my chin in her direction.
Chohee scoffs, "I don't know and I don't care. If you're so curious, go ask Mir. They seem really chummy." Chohee snaps and yanks her wrist from my grasp. Then she stomps off, sand flicking from below her feet.
I feel my stomach sink and make my way closer to Mir and the girl, who now talk to one another. Mir's face looks defensive at whatever the girl had just said to him.
Then, Mir makes a move to walk away. But, just as I had with Chohee a minute earlier, the girl grabs Mir's wrist.
She whispers something to Mir and pity and guilt strike across Mir's face. He lowers his head in shame. With his head still down, he's about to say something when the girl says something else.
For some reason, my blood boils seeing them like this. They stand so close that the girl's lips are practically in Mir's ear. I shudder and decide to stop this while I can.
I call out Mir's name and he looks up, surprised to find me there.
"Must I remind you, that you're being paid by the hour. I hope you're not wasting time here. You are on the job, right now." I sternly say. I've never been mad at Mir before and I don't think I'm mad now. I'm just bothered, but not for my sake, for someone else's. Like a cold, lonely girl who doesn't understand her own heart, or even what jealousy is.
Mir hesitantly agrees and after a while, gets himself out of the girl's grip and slowly makes his way back to the mansion.
"Annyeonghaeseyo," I say without much expression in my voice to the girl. I stare at the plastic-doll-like girl before me.
"Annyeonghaeseyo," She replies. There was a sweet look in her eyes when she spoke to Mir, but now it's gone, replaced with nothing, like her eyes are glass voids. They look familiar.
"I hope I didn't offend you, but Mir is on the job. You can speak to him afterwards." I explain, letting my arms drop from my chest. I have nothing else to say, so I bow slightly and turn to walk back.
"Excuse me," She says behind me. I turn and look at her, waiting. "That girl Mir tutors... Who is she to Mir?"
I stare at her blankly again. "His student," I say, like it should be obvious. I don't get this girl...
She shakes her head, "No she's more... Isn't she?" I look straight into her eyes but realize that she isn't looking at me. She's staring far beyond me, like she's off in her own little world.
Then I realize why her glass eyes look familiar. I've seen it in Chohee. A deep sadness has come over her and, like frost creeping over her eyes, it envelopes her. Chohee's eyes were like that before she met Mir, but lately, her frost is melting.
There's a long silence between us until she finally shakes herself out of her lost world.
"You're Mir's friend, right?" She asks, more attentive now and I nod. "So you know that he can either be like a child or a knight in shining armor; he can be a ray of light and warm blanket, the encouragement and comfort you need, right?" I nod once more. This girl must know Mir really, really well... "Mir... Mir doesn't leave me like that. He's never left me like that. I know it probably looks and seems like nothing, especially since you and I are complete strangers, but Mir has never left me. He's different."
"Well he does have a job to do..." I point out. But... This girl, she must be really important to Mir.
She shakes her head confidently once more. "When someone's in trouble, Mir doesn't leave no matter what. The world could be burning down but Mir would stick by that troubled person he cared most about..." I remain silent because I never knew Mir was that serious. "Mir's really dense and childish, so he probably doesn't even know what he's doing. That girl must mean a lot to him, huh? He doesn't even realize it himself..." The girl's voice is low and soft now; almost depressing.
What she says starts to make me think. I watch the girl with furrowed eyebrows and finally ask the question that was bouncing around my mind the entire time.
"Excuse me," I say and she looks up at me, straight in the eyes. I'm taken aback for a moment by the look of nothing in her strangely beautiful eyes. "Who are you... Who are you," I repeat, "to Mir?"
A small smile forms on the girl's lips as she looks in the direction toward the mansion that Mir had walked. It's almost a sad smile.
"Me? I'm Mir's childhood friend..." She pauses and I wait. "I'm Mir's first love."
•••
A/N:
Oh shizzzlleeesss!
So now we know who Taeyeon is to Mir! Which is why Mir is having such a difficult time >.> Tsktsktsk.
BTW, the response to chapter 35 was honestly just amazing! Thanks for all of the support, comments, subscriptions and upvotes! ♡♡♡
LOL UM.. Omg sorry for the supa late update, I accdently left Heater on hidden x) bur s'all good now! [2013.10.19]
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