Chapter 6

 

Chasing Cars

 

“If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me
And just forget the world?

…All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes
They're all I can see”

 

-Snow Patrol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I could stay in bed forever, I would.  I love to sleep, a lot and appa says that I got it from my omma’s side of the family which she usually throws back at him.   I’ve always liked to listen to their silly banters every time.  I’ve always believed in love and my parents are the reason for it.  They’ve always been acquaintances due to their families being in the same elite circle but it was in college when they started having feelings for each other and the rest, as they say, is history.   Sometimes, I wish that someday, like my omma I would find the man who I will be destined to be with me forever.

 

 

But then before he comes, I would stay here in my beloved bed, curled up under the warm sheets and hug Ppo-Ppo tight till nana Hye Mi wakes me up which always seems to happen earlier than I have wanted to.   

 

 

Grumbling, I got up after thirty minutes of nana Hye Mi’s attempts of waking me up.  I felt heavy yet one look at the time I forcedly brush off the sluggishness and headed to the bathroom.   However, I haven’t even spent five minutes inside the bathroom when I irritatedly headed out the door in my bathrobe. 

 

 

“What is it, Ms. Chaerin?” nana Hye Mi’s worried face looked at me as I explained the problem.   

 

 

“I’ll have a plumber come over quickly then,” she suggested, going to where the house phone was when I stopped her.

 

 

“I’ll be late if I still have to wait for the plumber I’ll just use the other bathroom,” I decided but this time it was nana Hye Mi who stopped me.

 

 

“Actually… your mother, Mrs. Lee has decided to have the four other bathrooms renovated.   The tiles are being changed since Mrs. Lee has fallen in love, this time, with an Italian designer’s work when she and Mr. Lee went to Sicily,” she said, looking apologetically at me.

 

 

“Again?!” I blurted out, shaking my head at the weird obsession my mother has for stylish bathrooms.   If there was one thing that changes like the seasons in our mansion it would be the bathrooms.   Only my private bathroom has been spared from my omma’s habit of changing the bathroom’s interior whenever she feels like it. 

 

 

How can she not? It is the place where my omma spends half of her mornings.   It is where she does her every day morning beauty rituals and I just keep wondering how my appa keeps up with it.   If it wasn’t for appa hindering her from teaching me all those beauty habits I would end up doing all those tiring girly stuff.   Well, I’m forever appa’s only baby girl so me doing girly stuff gets him overly sentimental.

 

 

Why? Why now??

 

 

The thoughts running through my head aren’t good.   Other than sleeping, I love the feeling of being clean and there is no way I am going to school without taking a shower.   I kept pacing around back and forth in my room trying to think of other ways to solve my problem when nana Hye Mi who was already dizzy from all my pacing suggested what I think might be my only hope.

 

 

I head down a floor below my room and in to a section of our house which I don’t usually go to.  Walking around with my pair of teddy bear slippers and tightly clutching all the things I need when I take a shower, I stop by a particular door wondering if the person I’m looking for is already awake or not.

 

 

I knocked twice, fidgeting with my fingers while waiting a bit for a response until the door opened.

 

 

“Chae-roo?”

 

 

“Jingyo… uhm can I use your bathroom?” I ask as I see oppa hurriedly fumbling with his shirt. 

 

 

The thing is, oppa looked like  he was just dressing up, getting himself ready before he takes me to school.  His hair was still wet and a bit messy, like he had just run a towel on it to dry his hair.   I had to stop myself from laughing at the look of his shocked face and the way he almost closed the door back on me before opting to hide behind it still trying to fumble with his tie quickly.  

 

 

I’ve never seen oppa like this before since he always pops out in the morning to greet me while looking fresh, clean and stylish.

 

 

“Uh… come in—I mean, no, wait there for a second, Chae-roo,” he says before probably trying to clean his room hastily from all the shuffling and scrambling I hear happening inside oppa’s room.   When his door opened wider I finally stepped inside cautiously. 

 

 

I’ve never been to Jingyo’s room before so imagine how curious I must be when I was given the suggestion.   Nana Hye Mi had suggested Jingyo oppa’s room since nana Shin Young had seemed to have eaten something bad this morning and is currently inside one of the available bathrooms nana Hye Mi uses.  On the other hand, she discourages me from using the ahjusshis bathrooms since she believes that the cleanliness level there won’t be at par to my standards.   This then leaves me with what I believe is the one of the cleanest oppas I know. 

 

 

Jingyo’s room is nice even though it is smaller than mine.  It smells good too.  Compared to an average guy’s messy room from what I see on films and TV shows oppa’s room is like heaven.   

 

 

“Is there something wrong with your bathroom?” oppa asks as I enter, still very amazed at the fact that oppa has really good taste in interior decorating.  His minimalist themed room is very balanced with the darker colors on the wall and the choice of furniture complimenting each other very well.

 

 

“The shower broke, water won’t come out of it,” I sigh as he hurries inside his bathroom to… do more cleaning.  I wanted to stop him since I think everything was fine but oppa insists that he still continues to clean some minor dirt.  

 

 

I sat down one of oppa’s sofas but then the urge to look around is so great that I find myself taking a quick look on his work table.   Oppa must have studied on this particular spot when he was still in school.   I also observed his massive collection of music CDs, mostly from the RnB, Rap and Hip-hop genre. 

 

 

So Jingyo loves that kind of music too.  No wonder he always lets me choose the music on the car’s radio.  We have the same taste.

 

 

After taking note of Jingyo oppa’s favorite singers I then turn my head over to the picture frames being displayed on his bedside table.  There was a picture of his parents, himself in France, as expected of this narcissist oppa, a picture of him and his soccer team when they won and another frame which made me smile.   It was a picture of me and him on my 11^th birthday, before he left for France.   We were riding the Ferris wheel when the picture was taken and all throughout the ride I was just holding on to him really tight. 

 

 

I was about to pick up the picture when something caught my eye.   It was another picture frame but unlike the others it was lying face down under his pillows.   It wasn’t entirely hidden since the edge of the frame stuck out which made it visible from my angle.  Curious, I decided to take a quick look.  Flipping it so I could see the picture, I was surprised to see Jingyo oppa with… that ‘I’m-so-pretty-it-hurts’ unnie.

 

 

She is… kissing his cheek.  

 

 

My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I heard Jingyo’s voice telling me that the bathroom is already clean and ready for me to use.  I guess I was too stunned at the picture in my hands that I almost lost grip and let it fall.   Good thing, my reflexes weren’t as bad as Bommie’s as I immediately placed it back from under his pillows.   However, oppa’s carpet floor and my teddy bear slippers weren’t really good friends and caused me to lose my footing when I spun around quickly. 

 

 

So, there I was letting out a short yelp and falling face first on oppa’s bed.   Hmm not bad, oppa knows how to choose a really soft bed as it only left me bouncing a bit due to the impact of my fall.  

 

 

“Chae-roo!! What happened? What’s wrong?” oppa’s alarmed voice boomed from inside the bathroom and in seconds the bathroom door opens with a loud bang revealing Jingyo oppa, both his hands wearing blue rubber gloves for cleaning and a toilet brush on one hand.    I think that he believes that whoever intruder it was breaking in the house would die from all the germs on that toilet brush.   

 

 

In a serious light, Jingyo oppa’s fighting stance is no joke, to be honest.     

 

 

I lift my face up, blowing a couple of strands of my hair to look at him.  I saw him giving a quick scan of the whole room before landing his eyes on me, sprawled out on his bed looking all dishevelled and stunned.   Oppa seemed to have frozen a bit when he saw me then he seemed to be acting strange and immediately looking elsewhere. 

 

 

“Ms. Chaerin, do you… want me to uh… get you new and cleaner bed sheets so you could be more comfortable?” oppa asks, not even waiting for my reply as he walks quickly to one of his cabinets and when he realizes that he was still holding the toilet brush he rushed back to the bathroom, bumping clumsily on to his coffee table on the way.  I hear more shuffling and some stuff falling from inside.

 

 

Did he just call me Ms. Chaerin?

 

 

It was when I straightened up from my position when I realized that my bathrobe has loosened exposing my shoulder dangerously down to my chest and my left thigh where the fabric has just hiked up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chaerin’s Note

 

I’m going to be ordering nana Hye Mi to send the best plumber in the country to check on my shower and even the water line of our house at least once a week.  This incident must NEVER ever happen again.  NEVER.

 

Chae-roo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Chaerin-ah, how are you supposed to have an for the Spring Ball if you keep declining all the suggestions I offer?”  Dara asks me for the tenth time as we all sat down at one of the library’s tables.

 

 

“Nope, I’m not going with any of them to the ball,” I say monotonously without lifting my head from the papers I’ve been reading.   I just don’t know how long I could survive listening to this topic every single day.

 

 

“But why?” Dara sighs.  “All the guys I suggested for you are all good-looking and reputable,” she points out, looking over at Bom who nods her head in agreement.  “Besides, they’re all willing to be your ,” Dara continues on, going through her list of possible candidates once more.

 

 

“Park Jaebum, the talented leader of our campus’ dance group.  He is a funny guy and easy to be with. Plus, you wouldn’t have to worry about having a bad dance partner,” Dara enumerates.

 

 

“Hmm nice abs,” Bom nods agreeably.

 

 

“How about his friend then, Lee Junho? He is a good dancer too,” Dara points out.

 

 

“Mhmm abs abs abs,” Bom nods even more.

 

 

“Or this guy, Kim Jae Sub! You know AJ the one who raps really well? He is a nice guy and he speaks English fluently just like you, Chaerin-ah!” Dara adds enthusiastically.

 

 

“That one is a cutie,” Bom agrees yet again.

 

 

“If you don’t like him then how about… John Park, the one from the music club.  He is good in English too! And he can play the piano very well,”

 

 

“Imagine sleeping to that and his sweet voice,” Bommie dreamily sighs at the thought as I just shake my head.

 

 

“If you don’t want any of those then, here is one that really suits you, Kim Hyun Joong, the star of the drama club.  Very handsome, respectful and really sweet,” Dara excitedly says while Youngbae who has managed to remain as quiet as I am suddenly shifts uncomfortably, a light frown on his brows as if something bad happened in the novel he was currently reading.

 

 

“Oh… almost paradise,” Bommie chimes in as she and Dara hold hands, trying so hard to contain their excited squeals.  I could even hear Youngbae’s coughing now.  It’s as if the dusts from the books had now consumed his lungs.

 

 

Before they could even continue on with their dreamy sighs and excited whispers about delusional scenarios I immediately cut them off with the coldest tone I could manage, still giving ninety percent of my attention to the papers I am working on.

 

 

“Nope, sorry, not going with any of them,” their excited tones hush down to silence as they both look at me in disbelief.

 

 

“And what could be the grand reason then?” Dara asks, looking like the world fell off the universe.

 

 

“Could it be that somebody has already asked you to the ball?” Bom suddenly sits upright, her question also causing Dara to perk up so suddenly.

 

 

“Who is it?” Dara demands and I could tell that she is already running another list of guys on her mind.

 

 

I inhale deeply before finally lifting my head and looking at the both of them.  I was even slightly surprised that Youngbae was looking at me expectantly too.   I guess the topic of my potential love interests really is a big deal to them after all.  

 

 

“First of all I’d like to burst your bubble and tell you that it is not Seungri,” I say, narrowing my eyes at Dara whom I already know has that evil rat’s name in her mind.  “I’m not that desperate.  Second, I’d like to go with a guy who sincerely wants to bring me to the event, specifically, someone who does not belong to the ‘I Love Park Sandara’ club,” I stress out clearly, eyeing Dara’s list.

 

 

“And finally, I’m going alone and I’m okay with it.  I appreciate this, really, but trust me I’ll be just fine,” I assure them before looking back down on my papers.

 

 

“Alright then, we were just worried about you, you know.  We really don’t want to see you walking alone,” Bom exhales, looking at Dara who nods and puts her list of names aside.

 

 

“I know guys, thanks but really, I’m fine with it,” I assure them again, giving them a smile.

 

 

No matter how annoying these friends of mine can be I can’t deny that I love them so much.

 

 

“Okay… So, are you going to tell us what you’ve been so busy with since this morning?” Bommie asks.

 

 

“Yeah, you look… distracted and besides, haven’t we passed our history project already?  There’s nothing for you to be so busy with,” Dara says, now peering over my papers with Bom.

 

 

“Are those résumés…” Bom starts, trying to read one before finishing her question.

 

 

“…of plumbers?!” she points out in a ridiculous tone that our overly strict female librarian heard us from her corner and called Bom out. 

 

 

“Park Bom! You better not be doing anything funny again!” I’m pretty sure Ms. Yoon or ‘Witch Yoon’ as she is known in our campus could hear and recognize Bommie’s voice even if she doesn’t see her.   If there is a place where Bommie is famous at in campus it would be the library since she gets called out for not only being noisy but for notoriously trying to sneak in food.   I completely understood her excuse of being hungry after studying, though.

 

 

“What kind of leak it is you have at your house that even requires you to look for plumbers from out of the country?” Youngbae finally speaks up, lifting a résumé from California while Dara tries to hide Bom under the table.

 

 

God I think I’m about to lose my mind.

 

 

 

 

 

#

 

 

 

 

 

This is the real definition of exasperating.

 

 

I’ve never thought that I would be sitting down in front of this huge mirror with my hair and make-up being done by experts.   Today is the day of the Spring Ball and in a few hours I will be in heading to the venue overlooking the beautiful Han River.   My omma somehow found out that I, her very elusive-to-social-events daughter is finally attending one on her own will.  My very excited omma has immediately hired all the best in the field, renowned stylists and make-up artists coming from abroad.  Of course, on top of all that my appa’s present for me, shipped from France to Seoul, a lovely black and gold evening gown, tailored only for me.  

 

 

After being soaked and scrubbed in whatever scented potions they mixed in my bath tub this morning I had succumbed to having my hair done, make-up being made and lots of other stuff my mom believes are preparations necessary for any event.   Believe me if I only knew that I’d go through such ordeal I would have hid underneath Jingyo oppa’s really soft bed and never come out.

 

 

This is probably what the Hunger Games pre-battle preparations feel like… turning you in to an A-list celebrity before you get killed.  Well, at least you die pretty… talk about morbidity.

 

 

By the end of every preparation, I was already sleepy and tired that I wish this was all a nightmare I’d soon wake up from.  But then again these merciless people only ushered me out of the room and down the stairs with a teary-eyed nana Hye Mi already holding on to her video camera.  Both my omma and appa were waiting for me as they went on to gush about my appearance then debate about which side of the family I have gotten my good genes from.  They proceeded to give a long list of reminders before telling me to enjoy the night and hurrying me off to the limousine.

 

 

If they only knew that the food is all I’m after.

 

 

I looked back at our house, feeling quite sad that I didn’t get to at least talk to Jingyo oppa or see him all day because of these stupid preparations.  He’d probably say something about what I should be expecting and maybe teach me a little bit of defense lessons on the side.   I could really use some encouraging words from him right now because I think I’m going to have an anxiety attack any moment now. 

 

 

If only oppa was here to hold my hand…  If only he was beside me right now.

 

 

In thirty minutes I’ve finally reached the venue of the event as a long line of limousines and sports cars wait before they could drop off their passengers at the red carpet leading to the grand hall, from afar I could see official photographers capturing every attendee getting out the cars.

 

 

I looked down at my phone for the hundredth time, hoping that Jingyo oppa would reply to any of my messages.  How could my very own butler not reply to any of my messages? This is really getting me crazy.  My ride starts moving forward again and I think my stomach is lurching angrily in anxiety.

 

 

Just then my phone rings suddenly that I almost had a heart attack.  However, the name of the caller wasn’t the one I was expecting.  Sighing sadly, I answered the call.

 

 

“Ssantokki, what’s up?” I ask without any emotion.

 

 

“Where are you? Bommie’s already panicking here and we’re all about to be called for the slow dance in a minute,” she asks worriedly.  That’s just typical of Dara since she tends to be a bit motherly on us at times.

 

 

“I’m already outside.  It’s almost my turn to get down and be fed to the sharks,” I said in all sorrow, playing with the fabric of my dress.   

 

 

“Good, we have planned that Youngbae is going back out to walk you inside so just wait there, okay?” I was about to say that he didn’t have to but she immediately hung up on me, leaving me looking confused at my phone. 

 

 

Great.

 

 

Deciding to just go ahead and not wait for Youngbae, my limousine stops at the lobby.  The car door finally opens as I take one deep breath before stepping down.  All throughout my mind was making mental chants in my head to keep me from losing composure.

 

 

You can do this.  Just focus on not tripping, Chaerin.

 

 

Flashes of light go off from both directions as I take step towards the elaborate entrance’s glass doors, focusing on only one direction.   Fortunately, nothing bad has happened as I walked halfway through the red carpet and towards the reception leading to a staircase.   From up here I could see the whole place lighted by at least a hundred of lights, glowing like fireflies over our heads while you could see the beautiful and romantic view of the serene Han river through the glass walls.      

 

 

I must give it up to Dara for having such a stylish and successful event.

 

 

If only I could truly enjoy this… 

 

 

I stop by the reception to give my name.  Each pair’s arrival would be broadcasted all over the speakers of the place upon entering, much to my dismay.   I definitely would not like the attention especially if I’m going alone so as much as possible I’d like to get this all over with.

 

 

“Your ?” the lady instinctively asks me.

 

 

“I don’t—“

 

 

I was in the middle of telling the lady that I wasn’t with anyone when a small bouquet of beautiful white roses wrapped in black and gold suddenly appears in front of my face.  There was even a small yet cute white teddy bear clipped on it.  I then turn to my right, wanting to know if somebody was playing a joke on me when I found myself facing a masked stranger.   Half his face may have been covered with a matching black and gold mask but all I need is one look and I would instantly recognize that smile from anywhere.   In addition to that, the teddy bear figurine on his mask was already a dead giveaway.

 

 

“Jingyo, what are you doing here?” I ask unable to hide my smile after accepting the pretty bouquet.  I continued to look at him in disbelief finally observing how handsome he looked donned in a formal black evening suit with small details of gold, if I were facing a mirror right now I’d say that our outfits match extremely well.  I hear him clear his throat before speaking, straightening himself before looking me in the eye.

 

 

“I’m here to earnestly ask you if you’d like to come with me to the Spring Ball cause I really would love to have the privilege of being your tonight… and I can assure you that I know how to dance,” he says sincerely, whispering the last words to me.  

 

 

He then offers his hand, waiting for my answer as the smile remains on my lips.  I am just at a loss for words, not knowing what else to say.   Looking down at his open palm, it didn’t take me long enough to find out just how warm it was.

 

 

“Excuse me, sir, your name, please?” the lady waiting at the reception asks as I finally snap out of whatever planet it is I found myself drifting to.   Oppa looked at her, armed with his overflowing confidence and cocky grin as he answered.

 

 

“Kwon Jiyong, Lee Chaerin’s ,” 

 

 

“Mr. Kwon, masks aren’t a part of the dress code,” the lady suddenly says before we could walk down the other half of the red carpet.  Oppa takes the mask off and well, it would be an understatement to say how extremely good-looking he was.  I hear both our names on the speakers around the hall as people turn to look our way but I simply just forgot about all of them.

 

 

It’s funny how people could easily think that Jingyo oppa is still in college or even a high school senior.   He just has that youthful looking face especially.  I could practically hear glasses breaking as some of the girls catch a glimpse of Jingyo.

 

 

No wonder this oppa already has a big head.

 

 

As soon as we start going down the stairs I could finally feel all eyes boring on us that I had to hold on tighter on oppa’s arm.   He looked back at me with a smile, placing his hand on top of mine which was by now, clamping on to his arm.

 

 

“Relax, Chae-roo,”

 

 

“They are making me nervous,”

 

 

“Don’t be, you can’t blame them for staring, you look really gorgeous,” 

 

 

I swear I could almost feel my cheeks heating up at his words.  This oppa really knows what to say at the perfect time, no wonder women swoon at his feet every now and then.

 

 

“You mean they are looking at you and your handsome self,” I corrected him jokingly.

 

 

“Why thank you.  It’s nothing new,” he smiled as I slapped his shoulder playfully with my free hand.  See, that’s why I hate complimenting this oppa.  It’s like his overly narcissistic alter-ego suddenly appears if he hears words along the lines of handsome, good-looking and hot.  

 

 

Even though he has every right to…

 

 

We finally got down and I could just feel the spot lights on us and believe me my nerves were wracking at all the attention I was getting.   I could even hear the whispers around us.   From questions to whether or not I was the simple Lee Chaerin running around campus in my Adidas sneakers to who Jingyo oppa was and from what class did he belong to?

 

 

Was this really what it is like being popular and sought-after?

 

 

It took me awhile to get used to being in this environment and finally spot my friends who seemed to have their mouths almost hanging wide open in disbelief.  Jingyo oppa, on the other hand, looked so comfortable with everything.   It’s ironic how my very own butler oppa feels more at ease in situations like these than I am.    

 

 

“The dance floor looks empty,” Jiyong oppa suddenly says, in probably a sarcastic manner since the dance floor is full but before I could say anything I found myself parting the crowd with this narcissistic oppa to the center of the wide dance floor.

 

 

“O-Oppa we—I-I don’t really feel like dancing… can’t we just eat and watch?” I asked hoping he’d reconsider and turn back but knowing Jingyo he wouldn’t really give up once he is bent on doing something.

 

 

“Don’t be scared, Chae-roo.  It’s just dancing,” Oppa says while leading me to a wide empty spot right smack in the middle of everyone before smoothly turning around to face me.  

 

 

“Besides, these immature little boys all now need to know how unlucky they are not to have picked you, princess,” He says in an earnest tone, a light smile on his lips.   His arm then softly circles around to rest his hand on my lower back as my hand, in turn, rests on his shoulder.   My whole body began to stiffen at the sudden contact especially when he gently pulls me towards him.

 

 

I know that this is just an innocent dance.   I’ve learned all this since I was young so I really need to stop feeling so awkward and… calm the thousands of butterflies in my stomach.    

 

 

But those eyes… oh dear please someone make this oppa stop staring at me.

 

 

I cleared my throat a bit as I tried to look at his chest instead.

 

 

“It’s really alright, Jingyo.  I know I’m not that attractive and—“ I hadn’t finished my sentence because oppa hushed me to silence.

 

 

“You are.  It’s time you should know that,” he affirmed in a tone that could possibly knock the air out of me.  His voice and this gentle swaying really is doing a good job calming my very nervous awkward state.

 

 

“But—“ I tried yet he only leans his head closer to my ear.

 

 

“You are.  Trust this very lucky oppa,” he says in a firm yet such a gentle voice that is enough for me to believe his every word.  He then twirls me around before pulling me back to him as I giggle at the way he was swaying me. 

 

 

I didn’t know events like this could be fun too.

 

 

I rested my head on a part of his shoulder as the space between us becomes non-existent.   The very sweet music fills my ears as I start to drift away in a world where nothing else matters but the feeling of these warm and secure arms around me.

 

 

I’ve never been so sure of anything before.

 

 

I want this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chaerin’s Note

 

I think I’m falling in love with my knight.

 

Chae-roo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.N:

 

Love... love... love... 

 

I can see some wide smiles going around at the little scene up there, nope I wasn't referring to the dance.. but the one involving bathrooms and plumbers.  Chae-roo in Jingyo's bed for the first time~  You can thank me later in that little comment box below or probably rant out on how short it was, up to you~

 

Thank you to all 135 subscribers and upvoters, this one's for all you pretty people patiently waiting for this update.  I do read the comments and I'm happy to know that Monday feels like a Friday to some~ thank you so much, lovelies.

 

Have a happy monday! (asian time)