Chance Number Three

Point Two

“Good Morning,” says a singsong voice.

His high-pitched voice rings into my ears almost exactly as I open the door to step out of our house. What greets me – besides a fairly pleasant weather – is the very person I will give anything not to see. Kim Junsu leans against the side of his shiny black car, smiling brightly at me.

“What on earth are you doing here – so early in the morning?” I ask, a brow raised as I await his answer.

He looks at me with a surprised expression, pushes himself off the car and heaves a loud sigh. “Get in, let’s go to work together.”

“And, please do tell, why would I want do that?” I respond, moving off the porch and out the gate. I walk pass him and his car, to the direction of the bus stop.

“Because we both know that you’ll be late if you play stubborn and hard-to-get,” he replies, walking fast behind me. He makes a grab for my arm – which I dodge fairly quickly, and walk even faster. “Or, okay, I will follow you to work then, if you don’t want to ride with me in my car.”

I suddenly stop, panting hard and fuming mad. I turn to look at him with a stern expression on my face – although I know I must be as red as a tomato, frustration and exercise never really did me good. He smiles again – more like tries hard not to laugh.

“Yah! Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I snap at my older brother’s best friend. “You aren’t my father, brother, and you most importantly aren’t my mother – so will you just leave me alone and mind your own business?” I turn back to walk – this time slower.

“You know I am your brother’s best friend,” he begins, still following me. I ignore him and walk on with my course. “And we grew up together, you and I. I care about you, Rinnie. So as much as you hate me, it is my responsibility to take care of you, just as it is Mun’s.”

I halt at that. He brings up Mun oppa to the conversation, something Kim Junsu has never done before, no matter how bad I always treat him. I spin on my spot to face him. His eyes are on me – as always – but he isn’t smiling. It is as if he is praying silently – to himself.

“Fine,” I breathe, softly because I am embarrassed to have given in to him. “Fine, get your car and hurry.”

Junsu nods, somewhat bewildered, and dashes back to his abandoned vehicle. It isn’t even a couple of minutes later when his car is right in front of me again. He gets out and runs to the passenger side to open the door for me and guide me to my seat. The ride to work has never been more uncomfortable.

Junsu’s parents and mine have known each other since time immemorial. They were all best friends throughout junior high and college, and they even worked in the same company for several years before deciding it better to settle down and start a business together. Neither of our families is rich, we are just well off, mostly because they worked hard for their future. Our families lived next door to each other ever since they had married. That’s why Mun oppa became best friends with Junsu. They, much like our parents, spent their days together – every single one of them. They were already best friends before I was born. Not that they’re that much older. But they had already been play buddies for almost six years before I was born and became everybody’s princess.

Come to think of it, I believe I called him 'oppa' back then. Now however, I get chills down my spine just thinking about it. The reason mostly is that he’s my oppa’s best friend. And I’m jealous.

Mun oppa and I are close. Very, actually. But it’s not enough, especially if I know about him less than someone who isn’t even our immediate family. And especially because they spend even more time together than I can with my oppa. Kim Junsu has stolen him from me. And I hate him for it.

I’m a very possessive girl – and I like it that way.

Junsu stops the car in front of the office building. He tells me to go on up ahead while he parks the vehicle in the basement. I nod at him and step off the car. I amble slowly to the elevators and wait, along with five other employees for our lift to arrive. It does, a minute later and we have queued in one by one. My department is at the fifth floor and I am the first to alight the lift, the other aren’t getting off until at least the sixth or seventh. I am familiar with some of them but since they did not acknowledge my presence, I went ahead and ignore them as well.

It seems that he really is able to ruin my mood.

And it continues until lunch, because that’s the time when I can go and ogle Kim Jaejoong at Accounting. No one knows about these escapades of mine. And I’m not yet ready for anyone to discover the stalker me.

“So you like him, huh?” I jump at the sound of his whisper. I turned my head to find myself face to face with my brother’s best friend. “Little Jang Riin has a crush on Kim Jaejoong.” He smiles, taunting and – something else I can’t explain.

And I punch him in the gut. He grunts and groans and splutters dirty curses while asking me why the hell I did that. I smile at him, of course, that same taunting one he gave me a while ago. Go to hell, bastard.

“No really, why didn’t you tell me.” It’s almost four in the afternoon when he comes strolling into my office area. “Do you want to date him?” he asks.

“Why do you even care?” I ask back, not once lift my head from the document I am reading. “It’s not as if you know him.”

“Oh? How sure are you that I don’t?”

I threw a glare his way, putting down my readings. “How would you know him?”

“Oh, that’s easy, Rinnie,” a smile. “Kim Jaejoong is my cousin.”