§Listen to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmMn0zLJvYs

I found myself guilty when I was becoming skeptical of Jaejoong’s changes. I made an assessment. I have never seen Jaejoong return back to his normal sense since that game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. But that was only when he asked me out on a date did his aloofness and pride returned. But in the date itself, he has changed.

 I don’t know when it will last long just yet. I still suspected his ways; a person won’t change their habits and attitudes within twenty-four hours. But Jessica thought I was being paranoid when I called her as I got home and placed the groceries, filling in every empty cupboard. I didn’t add that Siwon asked me out.

            I finally resolved to give Jaejoong a chance that is if he makes the move as he did yesterday. I have no plans to show him my weak spot. Well I remembered it clearly when he pulled me out the driveway, but forgot to thank him. I blushed.

            The rain was heavily pouring down the roof and it made me wide awake the whole night. When it settled into a quite drift, I dozed off to sleep.

            I woke up to find a brilliant sunlight sprawling from my window and caressing my face. I jumped up and opened the window wide enough to bathe in the heat. I did my morning routines with my eyes half closed, still sleepy.

            I reached school a little late, but Mr. Han was absent to my classmates’ delight. I opened my book in History and read. Jessica and Mina roamed around me and Mina sat behind, to Jaejoong’s seat. I turned to them.

            “Jaejoong is absent today.” Mina blurted. I felt my eyes drop. Another wave of guilt lapped me. Jessica eyed me incredulously.

            We changed topic and talked about the latest gossip travelling around the campus. I kept my face animated as much as possible. But my mind was recklessly spinning around Jaejoong.

            At lunch time, I ate my food robustly. Jess, Mina and our new members in the group, Yuchun and Junsu watched me as if I was insane. “Yah So Eun, careful there, you look like a dinosaur.” Junsu said.

            “We know Jaejoong’s absent, but you don’t need to gorge.” Yuchun said. I ignored them and continued devouring.                                                

            When the bell rang for dismissal; I ran to catch up with Mina and Jess while being with Yuchun and Junsu again. But then my phone rang and I stopped to pick it up.

            “So Eun,” It was Siwon. I wonder how he knew my number. I didn’t ask anyway. We’d go out. Suddenly, I felt nervous, but unlike the extreme nervousness I felt with my first date with Jaejoong.

            “Hi Siwon,” I surmised.

            “Meet me at the couple’s lounge by the woods. I’ll be there soon.”

            “Okay.”  I hung up and smiled slightly.

            The couple’s lounge is a line of bench by the woods, just left the parking lot. I reached it alone, no one was around. There was a bricked trail deeper by the woods, passing through the lounge that heads for the basketball court and the swimming pool gym. I sat down on a bench and waited patiently.

            After a few minutes, I was checking on my phone, deciding if I would call Siwon. But I’m not that kind, I’m quite conservative to do first moves. I glance up to see birds flying inside the perched hole on a tree, then I looked at the sky. There were dark grey skies waiting to strike down.

            I looked around; I clutched the phone and waited still. Then the heavy rain poured down like dripping water fall and my uniform was drenched wet.  I checked on my phone to swallow my pride and take a call, but it died down. I huddled it inside my bag. I stood up disappointed and looked around again my hair was dripping this time.

            But then it stopped, the rain wasn’t dripping down my head or my clothes, but sure there was rain around me. I looked up to see a blue umbrella before my head, and when I spun, hoping to see Siwon, it was Jaejoong. He was smiling, but his eyes were careful.

            “I thought you were absent?” I blurted.
            “Why, did you miss me?” He smiled wider, showing his set of perfect white teeth.

            “No,” I smiled back at him. Seeing him here with disheveled hair and his comforting musical voice, it was hard to suspect his intentions. He wasn’t wearing a uniform; he wore a navy blue sweatshirt and jeans. His hair was now dripping, so I tilted the umbrella to him. He tilted it back to me, smiling crookedly and showing off his dimple. I gasped quietly. It had only been a day but I missed his smile, like it’s the sun and I missed it now.  

            He straightened the umbrella enough for us to fit in. “What are you doing here, do you want to get sick?” When he spoke, it was teasing.

            “I was waiting for Siwon. He asked me out yesterday and said he’ll take me to an ice cream store.” Hypnotized by his melting bronze eyes, I spoke the truth then realized far too late. He didn’t seem bothered.

            “Well I guess he left you?” He deduced. I shrug in response. I sneezed out loudly.

            Jaejoong laughed loud, the sound of it was a beautiful crescendo. I laughed with him. “Excuse me.” I said recovered.

            “Then if Siwon left you, I’ll take you to the coffee shop, little wheezier.” We walked across the woods and into the long parking lot while our clothes dripped.

            We reached the coffee shop, just across the highway from school. When Jaejoong closed the umbrella, his face looked dazzling, as if he’d done a shampoo commercial with the rain. We stepped in the lodge; it has a fireplace at the far end.  Jaejoong ordered us a café latte and smilingly ignored me when I insist to pay mine. He took a fresh bill and handed it to the lady, which appears to be flirting at him. But he disregarded.

            We sat down at a coffee table in front the fireplace both shuddering. The warm café latte was served before us.

            Jaejoong spoke up. “I played basketball in the court the whole day, but I didn’t told anyone since I want to concentrate.”

            “What, the whole day?” I appraised. Jaejoong is the best basketball player, his team won simultaneous international championships when he became the captain ball last year.

            “Yeah, we have a competition soon, so I practiced a one on one with my coach.” The fire illuminated his face, making it inexplicable. I was glad I’m now comfortable with him, if not; the sight of him might make me faint in embarrassment.

            “Oh,” was all I managed to say while assessing him like a fragile diamond.

            “Why were you waiting for Siwon like that? A girl doesn’t need to endure a storm, you might get sick.”

            I looked down at my café and frowned. “I really thought he’ll come you know.”

            I could feel Jaejoong smile. I sipped the café carefully.

            “Sorry about that though,” He sounded sincere. He hasn’t been lying or teasing me ever since the kiss.

            “Oh, I almost forgot, thank you for saving me yesterday.” I said sincerely. He only sniggered.

            I looked up at him through my lashes, Jaejoong was stunned. But I ignored his reaction. “Kim Jaejoong, why have you changed? Why are you being so nice to me?”

            He was taken a back and he momentarily considered my words. “I want you to get to know me, me and not my reputation.”

            “But you use to ignore me?”

            “That was before and now I wanted to change. I just realized that my life is empty and depressing, same patterns repeat it. Yes it seems like I may have everything, but I feel empty, I'm missing something.”           

            “But why to me?” He measured my face for the longest time.

            “I like it to be you.” He said matter-of-factly. My heart beat fast and it was getting harder to breathe, warm blood flowed through my veins to reach my face.

            I blushed and took another sip. “What am I to you?” I wasn’t looking at his eyes.

            “You’re very special to me,” He said carefully. I look up to meet his gaze. I blushed again. I knew it from then on that it started from the game of Seven Minutes in Heaven.

            “Then why did you threatened me?” I mused.

            “Because you’ll never give me a chance, like how you acted yesterday, when I used to think everything was going to be better for us.” His honesty intimidated me. “So Eun, you are a scholar to the school, the top of the class and yet it wasn’t apparent for you?”

            I leaned closer to him. “I’m not that type who prioritizes what you are saying; I have a lot of things in hand to occupy my mind.” That was the most stupid lie I have ever said, and it vividly showed to my face that I was lying.

            Jaejoong laughed softly and he stared at me with the same frustrated eyes like last Friday. “I won’t stop trying to prove you wrong.” He was smug this time.

            I frowned again. After just getting another wound from Siwon and now Jaejoong just confessed the evident truth. And how stupid of me not to confirm it way before when it was clear that he liked me. It was like letting me get bitten by a snake. But I wasn’t clearly making my mind on set. I think a glitch had just formed inside my brain and clog simple analysis.

            “Why are you sulking?” He laughed a soft enchanting laugh.

            “I don’t know, I guess everything is just too heavy for me right now.” I glared at the fire cracking the wood by the fireplace. I hate trying to deal with a lot of emotions at the same time, disappointment and heartbreak to Siwon and confusion and indefinite to Jaejoong.

            “You know.” He spoke, attracting my full attention to his superior voice. “When I’m sad… or angry, I hit things.” He sounds kidding and amused.

            “I don’t know how to be properly mad.” I resolved, brushing my lashes.

            “I know that, ever since I took your teddy bear when we were in kindergarten, and there went Siwon saving the day.”

            “You could remember that?”

            He smiled wickedly.

            “When I’m angry, I cry a lot.” I admit sheepishly. “So I try not to be mad most of the time.” I peeked at him, and he was smiling again.

            “You smile a lot you know.” I commented him.

            “You make me smile a lot.” He glared at me jokingly. “So, you want to release your anger?”

            I could feel my eyebrows pulling up.

            “If your dad wouldn’t mind, want to go to a bar?”