“A boy is a magical creature - you can lock him out of your workshop, but you can't lock him out of your heart.”

-Allan Beck-

14| The Jealous KingKa

I don’t know why I listened to HyunJoong.

After all, his last so-called brilliant sundress plan resulted in a disaster so I really shouldn’t be listening to him. I should have just gone straight to SeungHyun, confess and ask him to be my boyfriend. That would be a lot simpler compared to the so-called ‘brilliant’ idea that HyunJoong had planned in front the gate of his house yesterday.

“Trust me, Bom,” he said, “I’m really sure that this is going to work.”

“That’s what you said about the sundress plan too,” I retorted back, “It didn’t work!”

“Just relax. Don’t forget that you owe me once he asked you to be his girlfriend,” he grinned.

I groaned.

I guess I have no other choice than to play along with his stupid plan. After all, we were already out at Freezing Cool, an ice-cream parlour which was about the most popular hangout place for youngsters in the area.

“Stop looking like you’re constipated,” HyunJoong instructed, “Just relax. Smile.”

I forced a wide smile.

“Never mind. You look better when you look constipated,” he said while shoving a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

The smile left my face and I glared at him in anger. It’s still a wonder why I didn’t just slap him hard across the face and leave him alone at the place. It was bad enough that some girls from our school were already giving us curious glances since we were out together and we actually looked like we were on a date. HyunJoong had gotten quite popular among girls in school although he had only been there for three days.

“You know what?” I said, “I think I want to go home now. This is just a waste of—”

“Shhh.. he’s here,” HyunJoong suddenly said, cutting me off. He picked up some ice cream in his bowl with his spoon and reached across the table to feed me, “Eat this and act like you’re happy.”

I quickly gulped it down. “He’s here?” I shrieked, “Is he coming this way? Does he see us here?”

HyunJoong looked at the spot behind me and shrugged his shoulders. “Nah, I’m just playing with you,” he chuckled and ate another spoonful of ice cream, “It’s funny seeing you acting fidgety like this.”

Invisible steams were already coming out from my nose.

Why this pretty boy!

Tell me why I didn’t leave him here again?

Right.

This is all for SeungHyun.

I’m only doing this for SeungHyun.

Once he’s mine, I’ll kick this pretty boy until his face is badly distorted.

Just count on it!

I ate my corn ice cream in fury while I gave HyunJoong a murderous glare. He returned my gaze with a smile on his face. That was him, always smiling. Nothing in the world seemed to disturb him.

“Why so serious?” he grinned, imitating the Joker. “Smile, Bom. We’re on a date. Stop looking like you’re being sent to prison. You should be happy. Do you know how many girls would die to date me?” he said smugly, giving me a toothy grin.

If he thought that I was going to be impressed hearing that, he was dead wrong. I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, please!” I said, “I’m only here for SeungHyun. He’s more popular than you in case you have forgotten.” I gave him a smug smile and shoved a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.

“Ouch!” HyunJoong said, faking to be hurt by putting a hand over his chest, “You really don’t care about my feelings at all.”

“Not at all,” I quipped and stuck out my tongue at him.

HyunJoong chuckled. “That’s not a nice way to treat a friend, Bom, especially when he goes through a lot of trouble to find you a boyfriend. You should shower me with hugs and kisses, not hurting me with words every single time.”

I rolled my eyes. “Stop your acting. Don’t pretend to be hurt with my words. You don’t really care,” I said. I had known him long enough to know that he wasn’t really hurt with what I said.

HyunJoong grinned. “You’re right that I don’t,” he said, chuckling to himself.

“Are you gay?” I suddenly had the itch to ask him that.

The thought had been hogging my mind for some days now. I mean, what kind of straight guys would advice a girl on fashion and give her love tips? So I had assumed that he was gay to be doing all this, especially since he was so reluctant to tell me and MinYoung about his past love life. He must be dead embarrassed to tell us about the story of how his father objected to his boyfriend and then moved him here to Seoul to straighten him out.

Suddenly, I pictured him running in a beautiful park which was full with gorgeous blooming sunflowers, hand in hand with a handsome boy and laughing gleefully with each other. I giggled when I imagined HyunJoong acting all shy after the boy kissed him on the lips.

“Ehem!” HyunJoong cleared his throat.

That brought me back to reality and I looked to find a pair of huge eyes staring at me. HyunJoong had an amused smile on his face. “Seeing that dumb look on your face, I can guess that you’re imagining me making out with a guy,” he said.

I gasped. “How did you know?” I asked, my voice came out in a whisper. I leaned in closer across the table, “Can you read minds now?”

HyunJoong rolled his eyes. “You’re always so ridiculous, Bom. Maybe I should send you to one of those ‘IQ enhancing class’ before I help you get SeungHyun. Maybe that’s what you really need,” he said, shaking his head.

My eyes turned to slit as I glared at him. I returned back to my side of the table, cursing wicked words at him for his degrading remarks. “I’m not dumb,” I said grumpily and pointed my index finger at him, “and I’m not talking to you anymore. You deserve a silent treatment for what you just said.”

I made the motion of zipping my mouth, crossed my arms across my chest and glared at him. HyunJoong didn’t look the slightest perturbed by my decision. Instead, he looked at something—or someone—behind me.

“He’s here,” he said excitedly, “SeungHyun’s here. Your kingka boy is here.”

I gasped. “Huh? Where? Where?” I looked around the ice cream parlour to find SeungHyun but he was nowhere in sight. “Where? Where is he? I can’t find him!”

I stopped when I heard HyunJoong’s chuckle and turned to glare at him. He was playing me again! God, I should just kick his groin!

“Yah!!” I yelled, “That’s not funny!”

“You talk,” he laughed, “I’ve made you talk.” He wiggled his eyebrow and grinned widely at me—his stupid winning face.

“I’m never speaking to you again!” I said angrily.

“I’m sorry Bom,” he said between laughter, “It’s just that you’re so much fun to tease. I won’t do it again, I promise.” He put up his three fingers like a scout. “Trust me, scout’s honor.”

I scowled at him. “Don’t think that you can fool me. You’re not even a scout.”

HyunJoong laughed again. “For once, you’ve shown me how clever you are,” he said.

I didn’t know whether to take that statement as a compliment. I mean, he was implying that I was dumb before this. I glared at him, not amused. He finally stopped laughing when he saw how serious I looked.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he said, his huge eyes looking sincere, “As an apology, I’ll tell you the reason why I’m willing to help you now. I’ll tell you about the girl whom you resembled. I’ll tell you all about it now.”

“You’re just going to lie to me,” I said, pretending to be not interested when in actual, I was really dying to find out. HyunJoong’s willingness to help me even though he had just befriended me was actually kinda suspicious. MinYoung kept telling me to dig his past out from him. Even she was curious by this pretty boy’s past.

HyunJoong heaved a deep sigh. “There’s this girl,” he started to say, “She sells corns by the roadside.”

“She sells corns too?” I gasped, “Like me?”

HyunJoong briskly nodded. “Her mother passed away so she had to work for some money.”

“Omo! She’s just like me!” I exclaimed.

“She’s in love with this kingka in her school but doesn’t know if the kingka likes her even though they have kissed three times.” He put up three fingers.

I looked at him suspiciously.

“She usually dresses like an ahjumma but when she tries on a sundress to impress the kingka, he isn’t impressed.”

This sounds so familiar.

Then it hit me.

He was mocking me! He wasn’t actually telling me about his past, that scum!

“YAH!” I yelled, “That’s me!”

HyunJoong clapped and laughed in glee. “Whoa, you’ve become so clever, Bom!” he praised.

I leaned across the table and reached out to grab the collar of his shirt. “You’re so dead,” I said, the anger rising from within me.

HyunJoong looked at something behind me. “He’s here, Bom. SeungHyun’s here,” he said.

He must think that I was too stupid to believe in his lame lies again. I didn’t even bother to look back. Instead, my gaze was still fixed on him. “Don’t try to lie to me again. I’m not stupid,” I said through gritted teeth.

“But I’m not lying,” he said, acting like he was speaking the truth, “He’s really here, Bom. Look behind you.”

“I’m going to look once I’ve finished killing you,” I said, tightening my grasp on his collar.

“As you wish,” HyunJoong smiled.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

I recognized that voice too well. I blinked rapidly. “He’s right here behind me, isn’t he?” I said.

HyunJoong nodded and laughed. “I told you but you didn’t want to listen.”

Oh, crap!

***************************

It was a very awkward moment for us three. Stupid HyunJoong couldn’t stop laughing at me and SeungHyun looked like he was about to eat me alive with his fiery gaze.

I squirmed in my seat.

This is not going according to the plan. SeungHyun was supposed to see us acting all lovey dovey with each other and that was supposed to make him very jealous. Instead, what he saw was the sight of me trying to kill HyunJoong with my bare hands. I don’t think he’d be very jealous of that. I bet he secretly wanted to kill HyunJoong too if he was given the chance.

“WHAT.IS.GOING.ON?” SeungHyun asked through gritted teeth, “WHY ARE YOU TWO TOGETHER?” He was really burning me alive with his eyes.

I squirmed in my seat again. According to stupid HyunJoong’s ‘brilliant’ plan, I was supposed to make him jealous by telling him outright that I was on a date with HyunJoong. Pretty boy had predicted that SeungHyun would be so jealous that he’d take me away from there and would ask me to be his girlfriend right that instance.

“Err...” somehow I had forgotten how to talk. Maybe I’m slowly turning into a monkey.

“We’re on a date,” HyunJoong answered for me instead. He winked at me and flashed SeungHyun his trademark killer smile.

SeungHyun’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

I blinked.

“A date?” SeungHyun turned to look at me, “Is this true, corn girl?”

“Of course it’s true,” HyunJoong quipped.

“I was not asking you,” SeungHyun retorted back.

“But I have the right to answer for her since I’m her date,” HyunJoong smiled smugly.

“Speaking of rights, you can have the rights