Korea ~ Present ~ 2019

          “You shouldn’t call anymore Jong. Not now, not ever” Saerin was annoyed for Kai wasn’t giving her any slack. Every night after that messy conversation they shared, he started bothering her again.

              “Why, I’m bored, I’ve got nothing to talk to. That’s right, not ‘no one’, but ‘nothing’. Can you believe how desperate I am? Do you want to have lunch; I’m craving for ramen right now.”

“Are you asking me out Kim Jongin?” She retorted.

“Depends on how you’ll think about it. So what do you say?”

 She rolled her eyes and shut her phone off. There’s really something off about that guy right now. Asking her out isn’t like him at all.

              “Hello? SAERIN-AH!???”  Kai got up from bed and yelled at his phone. How dare she hang up on him?

Saerin squealed like an angry ahjumma and just like that, her manager’s fiancé Jiyong Kwon entered her apartment.

          “Wow, is that how international foreign singers vocalize these days?” He commented, not knowing that she’s having a bad day.

She frowned and threw him a pillow.

           “O, Rinnie, aren’t you going to eat this? I bought food for you!” Jiyong yelled outside her room.

            “I’ll eat them later” She yelled back.

              “Yaa, I know you just got back from the States but it’s not really a good time to have the “princess syndrome” right now. Dara’s gonna kill me if you won’t eat on time. Aiiiish, what’s up with you nowadays, acting all dramatic and all --- Yaa, YOU’RE NOT PREGNANT ARE YOU?” Jiyong said in panic that made Saerin open the door. Her face was telling him “-off”. But Jiyong knew better than to get scared by her, so he gave her a menacing smile. Saerin looked at the bag he was holding.

“What’s that?” She said bluntly.

“Gimbap and Bulgogi. You’re favorite prepared by my darling Yeobo.”

The two of them were seated in the living room watching T.V. Jiyong was reviewing her schedules for the month while she was eating lunch her manager prepared.

“What’s the agenda today?”She started asking while enjoying her gimbap.

“Hmmm, let’s see… you have Weekly Idol at 10, Volunteer Charity at 12, Fashion Week at 3 and Taxi at 7”

“Okay”

“And you know what’s next?”

“No, what?”

“I could totally make this day free for you my dear lil girl” He said smiling evilly at her.

She raised an eyebrow at her favorite oppa.

             “What are you talking about oppa? Are you trying to get us both killed? You know Dara Unnie will probably call off the wedding if she’ll find out you’re getting rid of my schedules.” She said half laughing. Then she heard him scoff.

             “Look at this kid. Five years ago, you were very eager to talk to me about ideas on breaking the rules” He said the last word with a scary expression on his face, mocking her.

            “That was five years ago when I was naïve and stupid to even believe that boys don’t have the capability to hurt someone. No offense.” She answered bitterly. Jiyong looked at her like she just spoke an alien language. Then their faces went up to the TV screen when her least favorite man on the world flashed on the news.

               “Tch. Poor guy” She heard him comment on Kai. She looked down on her food and continued eating her Bulgogi. The room was quiet except for the audio that can be heard of the television.

“Exo’s visual and lead dancer, Kai, was caught in another scandal! After the issue involving his relationship with Cube’s y singer Hyuna, the idol was reported to have been under possession of illegal drugs…”

“Omo, Jinja? This guy? Saerinnie are you watching this?”

“Turn it off. There’s nothing to watch anyway.” She said trying to sound normal.

As if to make her madder than she already is, Jiyong turned the volume louder.

“The 26 year old star was sent to the hospital after their performance at MuBank last night where sources claimed that the performer was overdosed when fellow members found him unconscious inside the dressing room. SM Entertainment refused to give their statements regar-“

 The TV was shut off by Saerin and she tossed the remote back on the couch.

“So annoying” She muttered, while getting her clutters.

“Ah, so this guy is still there? I mean, maybe he’s using drugs is because he’s suffocating there inside your heart”

             “Now, you’re being silly. I don’t give a on whether or not he’s got a problem. Anyway it’s his life and last time I checked, he doesn’t need me on it!” She snapped.

               Jiyong looked at her with pity. He witnessed how she seriously loved this guy and it’s no joke to get a heart broken either. He was always a big brother to her but he just couldn’t protect her right when the thing involve is her heart.

                “Saerin-ah, you know I always look after you like a real brother but I think you should talk to him. You know, just clear things out.” He gave her shoulder a light pat. He knew it wasn’t fully over between the two of them.

                 “He had his chance and missed it.” She said flatly. She drank her glass full of water because she could feel her eyes tearing up. She doesn’t really want to think about him because doing so would just make her sad. She didn’t come back to Korea to make amends with him.

“I’ll check on you later.” Jiyong sighed and went to the door.

2011 ~ Past ~ Korea

               Kai knew it wasn’t his business to know what the other girls were planning to do later. But the mention of Saerin and bullying is kind of his responsible now that this initiation thing is going too far. He knew why the other trainees were doing this. They were envious of the fact that Saerin got Sehun and Luhan’s attention. In fact, she is getting his attention and it’s not just because of the other night or the fact that his friends are growing a like on her. Kai thought maybe there are just girls who are very different and interesting like Saerin is.

           A few days earlier, he and his friends stopped by to watch the new trainees practice their dance moves on the rehearsal studio. His eyes diverted on Saerin right away when they stopped by. Though she isn’t as good as the others, she’s very determined to get to their level. He found that cute in a girl. He noticed that she’s a little clumsy and late with the music. She kept on a straight face as the leader gave her a hard time with practice. He saw Sehun and Luhan waving at her and giving her two thumbs ups. He fought the urge to do the same; instead he just winked at her. Then he saw her cheeks get red again. She turned around to avoid his stare. That’s when he noticed Kwon Su Jeon was approaching. Su Jeon was his type. From head to toe, this girl can really distract even the numbest guy. She has the perfect curves, a great dancer and a pretty face. They were always being paired up in dance numbers and in real life.  

            Saerin took a deep breath and watched Jiyong Kwon leave. Her eyes went back to the television but hesitated to put it back on, instead she went to the bathroom and get ready for her next schedule. 

       “Hi Kai” She said smiling.

         “Good Morning beautiful. Have you had lunch?” He asked like the perfect gentleman.

       “No, I was waiting for you.”

       “Aw boo, not in here guys. Remember, no dating in house?” Baekhyun stated, as a matter of fact.

         He smiled at his friend. He was aware of the dating rules of the company and he thought it was stupid to prevent them from something that is natural. For him if he likes a girl and finds that she’s worth the trouble, he will not have any second thoughts about dating her. This is the only thing he’s against in their contracts. In Su Jeon’s case, he’s getting to know the girl better. Yes she’s pretty, talented and nice but for now, being friends with her is enough for the moment.  He doesn’t see any reason to go beyond that line, for now.

At the cafeteria, everything seems to be in place, except for one particular group.

         Kai watched as his friends were at the same table as Saerin. All 11 members of EXO were now having fun eating tacos with her. He watched as the girl hesitated to eat their treats. This girl definitely speaks trouble. The thought of Saerin being his girlfriend came to his mind. He shook his head and smiles.

        “What’s the punch line?”Su Jeon said as if waking Kai from a dream.

         “Huh?” He said forgetting he was eating with her.

        “Oh, um, it’s just that” He pointed at his friends who are now filling Saerin’s tray with candies and sweets.

       “Those guys are idiots” He said still shaking his head with a smile. Su Jeon giggles and looks at the Exo table.

          “They really like her don’t they? I mean I can’t blame them. I talked to her one time. That was free period and she’s really nice. I can see potential in her in like acting and singing. With dancing, she needs work.” She added with a laugh. Just hearing her laugh makes him feel at ease. Maybe if she could be his girlfriend, he’ll never get bored with her around.

          “But you know, you should be careful” said Su Jeon.

          “Me? Why should I?” Kai wondered, seeing a frown on Su Jeon’s face. She looks at him and smiles.

          “She’s a very likeable girl and as you can see how your friends are already close with her so I’m just worried that…hmmm-“

           “What is it?”

           “I won’t really be happy if you’ll start liking her” said Su Jeon looking down.

           “Well, I doubt it. She isn’t even my type, okay?”

           “Ok, if you say so. Good to know”

 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I wonder what they’re laughing about.

            Saerin thought. She was hanging out with Exo’s 11 members and it was fun just to joke with them. She just couldn’t get any happier because Jongin wasn’t there.

           “How come you haven’t had dating experience?” said Kris.

            “Yeah, a girl like you should date often” seconded Chanyeol.

            “To be honest, it’s not that no one’s making a move. It’s just that, I’m not interested” Saerin said stuffing a laugh.

             “Ooooh, cold” said Luhan.

             “You know what Noona, I think you might be in the wrong table because your kind of people belongs there” Sehun said pointing at SNSD’s table. Everyone laughed at Sehun’s remark.

             “It’s cool, but to be honest boys, how come I’m the only girl you’re talking to? Why not hang-out with-“

She saw the most talented dancer around SM and pointed at her.

               “Her!”

              “NO, NOT HER!” All of them said except for Tao who turned his chair around.

              “Why not?”She asked, shifting her eyes at Tao whose ears are turning red.

              “Yoon Do Yeon- I’m telling you – is an off limits, very restricted girl” Luhan said taking a sip of his milk tea.

                “Well, I’m sure she’s weirder than me, what do you say Tao?”

              “Um, I need to pee” He said, shoulder bumping people he meets along the way.

               “She rejected him.” Chanyeol said making a gesture with his hand across his neck. He was munching his low fat cheese curls like he was doing that for the past couple of hours.

               “Ha, there's no way!” Saerin laughs, but the others were just staring at her like she just spoken a different language.

             “oh, that bad?”

               The boys nodded. The atmosphere got awkward for she knew they wouldn’t want to share more about girls and their failure to approach them.

                “I’m sure you guys will have plenty of girls around. I can guarantee that after your debut, ha, no girl would ever dare reject any one of you.” She said keeping their confidence up. But the boys seem to hear nothing at all. 

“Surely he’s the only guy who’s made a move on all the girls here?” She said pointing to Kai and Su Jeon. That got the tension away. The boys were very easy to talk to, especially if the subject is about gossip and girls.

“No. Our Jonginnie is just a girl magnet. Girls here practically throw themselves at him; he’s just got that natural thing with the girls that made them like him more. Su Jeon’s just paired up with him most of the time that’s why they’re always together” Lay said. The other boys nodded their heads.

“AHA! You have a crush on him don’t you?” Kyungsoo said as he hit the table with his right palm.

She thought about lying, but she better faced it sooner because the truth will always come out.

She nods her head.

“Unbelievable, she really admitted it” Baekyeon scoffed.

“But I really think he’s not that handsome, after I saw him on my first day, I thought he’s okay. Not so much after I’ve seen him up close. I just noticed his pores are big, and his skin??? His real name is Kim Jongin right? K-k-Kkamjong?(Dark skinned)” She said trying to sound without interest. She flinched as the boys started to get hysterical. Jessica Jung of SNSD shhhed them because the noise coming from their table was getting louder.

“You’re the best Noona, don’t ever change” Chen said holding his stomach.

“YAA-  You boys keep calling me NOONA!!! I’m younger than you, I’m  a 95 liner!!!”

“You deserve it, you laugh like an ahjumma!” Luhan said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

          That night, Saerin got up and went to the rehearsal room just to check if he’s there again. She was disappointed to see the room empty. She was actually planning on thanking him for the other night. But whatever, she just needed an excuse to talk to him again. What’s the point of coming to SM if they aren’t even gonna be friends anyway? And besides, EXO will debut this year soon. They’ll be busy and he’ll have more girls to choose from.

   .

            She was going back to her dorm when she heard stuff from the clinic. She walked downstairs and followed the light emanating from the clinic. Who could be in trouble at times like this? Maybe she shouldn’t go; it could be just another ghost…

She was turning back on the light when she heard someone yelped. She ran inside the clinic only to find who she was looking for.

             “Oh god, I’m sorry I should’ve knocked” said Saerin. She saw him without any shirt on. She made a face and looked elsewhere.

“It’s okay.” He said.

          “What are you doing here anyway?! Can’t you just… change clothes in your dorm? Aish” She exclaimed, her face turning red from embarrassment. She was more annoyed when she heard him chuckling. She turned around forgetting he was shirtless.

“What’s so funny?- Oh” Her voice trembled when She saw his left shoulder getting dark and swollen.

“Your shoulder?”

           “I was practicing a new choreography and I fell. I’m okay, seriously, no big deal” He said, though he was keeping his calm, his face kept on twitching.

            “I should call someone, wait here”

            “No, Siren don’t!” Kai said, getting his shirt and covering his upper torso.

            “M-my name is Saerin”

           “I know, but you called me Kkamjong, it’s only fair I call you that”

            She stared at him with disbelief.

           “Y-you, how did you-“ She stuttered.

           “Sehun told me. They even told me about your crush”

           “What?” She gasps.

           “Just do me a favor and help me get out of here please.” He said commanding her.

           “Oh my god, I can’t believe it, so now you’re taking advantage of me! After finding out that I have a crush on you, how dare you! And what makes you think I’ll help you- put your shirt on first!” She said without pause.

            “You have a crush on me?” He said gladly, a smile slowly crept on his face. She gasps and started hitting her head with her hands.

             “Ah, Stupid, stupid, stupid!” She panicked and turned around to see Kai’s smug face.

           “Are you going to help me up, or I’ll make your life more miserable?” He said putting up a challenging face. She gritted her teeth at his arrogance.

           “Because of this, my admiration for you will finally took end.” She said helping him up. He put his good arm around her as they stand up. She put a foot forward but she couldn’t move. All of his weight was on her and he wouldn’t let them move an inch.

“ LET’S GO!”

          “You need to put your arm around my waist.” He said holding his laughter. He was enjoying teasing her. Her reactions are just the best.

          “Jinja? I should just abandon you Kkamjong! ARE YOU A OR SOMETHING” She said angrily.

          “We’ll get stuck here if you won’t do as I say. And will you please lower your voice, you’re like an ahjumma. You’re worst than Yoona Noona and Taeyon Noona. You’re like a crocodile ahjumma.”

She bit her lip hard as to keep from saying things such as or Bastard. She let out a sigh and obliged.

             “Ouch, it hurts” Kai muttered acting in pain. Not that it was really painful, he could handle it. He just wants her to worry.

            “We’re almost there”

            “Siren-ah”

             “Shhh! Stop it. You’re already heavy.”

As they were walking closer to their dorms, Kai was shifting his weight on her on purpose just to get to have more time with her.

               “Are you enjoying this?” Kai said with a smug face.

             “You know I should be the one saying that. Oh god, how much did you eat anyway?!” Saerin complained as they were both leaning on the right side. She looked up at him and was embarrassed to find he was staring at her too. Her cheeks turned red and turned her head away from his gaze.

            “Oh look, Thank Heavens!” She was glad she finally arrived on his door. She looked at him and over his shoulder. He put his arm down and smiled at her.

          “Thanks”

           “Are you gonna be okay?”

He nods.

            “I’m the most indestructible crush ever.”

She rolled her eyes.

             “I guess we’re even now huh. You helped me, I helped you”

              “Yeah, guess you can say that.”

             “Goodnight, sunbaenim”

             “You could just call me Kai, Siren.”

              “I prefer Jongin-shih”

               “Then call me Jongin-shih”

               “Okay”

               “Okay”

              They stare at each other’s eyes for a moment. Saerin bowed down and ran. Kai was amused by the way this night had turned out and he opened his door smiling. He went inside and saw the lights were already turned off. He was shocked when Suho appeared on his right.

               “Hey, how’d the dance battle – Woah” Suho was surprised to see his friend bruised.

               “What happened?” Suho persisted and Kai shook his head.

                “Some crazy guy went mad. I’m fine now Hyung, I beat Taemin Hyung and don’t worry okay, it’s just a little scratch.”

                “You sure?” Suho said still worried.

He nods and opened the fridge.

                “Hey, I heard you talking to someone outside” Suho said waiting for him to say something.

                “Oh, yeah. Um, I was talking to Saerin”

                “Oh, that girl.” Suho laughed. He doesn’t know why but Kai felt something pricking in his chest.

                “What about her?” He asked trying not to put some meaning behind his words.

                “Nothing. You’re one lucky guy if you got a girl like Saerin Jo.” Suho said out of the blue. Kai smiled and recalled what happened earlier.