Official Album No. 1

:: Track 01 ::

“KYAAA!” I let out an ear-piercing scream as I rebounded off the guy’s body. I fell backwards and landed on my . It hurt. No kidding. “Aish~~~” I hissed in pain and rubbed the side of my bottom to ease the pain.

“You’re such a klutz,” the guy said with a short laugh and put his hand in front of me. I instantly blanked when I glanced up and saw how he looked like. He had dark chocolate eyes that matched the blatant brown of his hair color. His skin was fair and his lips were of a tint of cherry red. This guy…. He was prettier than me!

“Yah, are you getting up or what?” he asked with sudden annoyance in his voice and rolled the eyes that I almost got lost into. I repeat almost. “I don’t have all day.”

I dropped my jaw and lowered my eyes at him. Forget what he looked like, he was a jerk!
He then scoffed to the side and drew back his hand to adjust the book bag strap that was hanging loosely over one shoulder. He must have thought he was cool to put it on that way. Stupid guy.

“I don’t need your help,” I snapped at him with my well-practiced mean glare. Just because it didn’t work on my mom didn’t mean it wasn’t going to work on anyone else.

He scoffed again. “I bet you it took a lot of time to get that look down.”

What! What was he talking about?! I blushed unwillingly as I scrambled to my feet.

“I bet you’re one of those really good girls who care about school and family or whatever. I can tell by just one look at you. You’re so transparent,” he continued to say but I can’t say I’m not surprised. Seriously, how did he know?! And why did he have to bring it up?!

“OH YEAH?” I shouted and pointed my pink nail-polished finger at his stupidly perfect straight nose. Two can play this game. “I bet you you’re one of those idiotic ‘cool’ guys who don’t care about anything except for money and girls!”

He let out a short laugh. I hated how he kept on doing that. It was like my mom and her smile.

“Right and wrong. Yes. I am cool. I’m glad you can tell,” he claimed with a teasing grin and I put a hand over my chest to make my heart stop going funny.

“But the things I care about are not money and girls. I mean, why would I care about girls?” His dark chocolate eyes glowered at me and he moved his hand up and down in the air from my head to my toes. “You’re living proof of why I don’t.”

I gasped with the heat rising to my face again. He did NOT just insult me!

“Why! – You!” I pointed at him again and puffed up my cheeks in frustration. And just as I was about to tell him off, I heard the school bell ring in the distance. I froze and my eyes grew tenfold.

“Kyaaa! I’m late!” I screeched and the guy jerked his head back, cupping his ears with his hands.
“Do you always scream like that? It’s annoying,” he remarked but I didn’t have time to make a comeback. Getting to class was more important than fighting with HIM.

:: Track 02 ::

I didn’t waste any more time, trust me, I’ve wasted enough, and so I began to sprint down the block like a maniac.
I grasped onto the straps of my beige knapsack and went as fast as my short legs could carry me. Yes, it’s another thing I hated to admit about myself, but I am short.

I don’t know why but I felt the need to glance back and when I did, I saw that guy following me. Unlike me, he was strolling ever-so-casually down the street, still holding his book bag the “cool way”.
“Stop stalking me!” I yelled back and stuck my tongue out at him.
“Pft, who needs to stalk you?” He shouted effortlessly. It seemed to take very little air to amplify his voice. It must have been because his moronic voice was so airy.

I gave him my signature mean glare and then when I looked ahead of me again, I stopped to see the school gates long closed.
“NOOOOO!” I threw my head back and squealed at the sky. It was all his fault! And my mother’s! I swear … this was Bad Luck for BoA day!

I held onto the thick black iron rods and rattled them. “Open up! I’m not late! I’m not late!!!”
“Wow, you’re crazy too,” the guy said next to my ear and I jumped from the closeness. How the heck did he even catch up so fast?! I did my best to keep my face from turning red.

“Shut up! This is all your fault! Stop following me! Go home!” I blurted out random things just to make him go away. But lo and behold, Mr. Cool stayed right where he was and was convinced he could get into the school too.

“You’re not the only one who goes to Ongaku,” he said nonchalantly as he gazed up at the gates. I did a double-take and stared at his clothes. He wasn’t lying.

He had the Ongaku school logo stitched right over the pocket of the school jacket. Weird how I didn’t notice it before. My eyes trailed down and found the reason why. He wasn’t wearing the uniform pants. Instead, he was wearing dark denim jeans coupled with matching navy blue converse shoes. It was so typical of him to break the school rules. “I can get you in.”

My eyes lit up at first but then I stared at him with undisguised suspicion. “…Really?” He simply nodded with pursed lips. “Well…What are you plotting?” I could tell he wasn’t going to help me without a price.

“I’m just going to tell the school security guard to open it. Duh,” he told me and I smacked myself mentally on the forehead. I knew that this guy was an idiot.
“No~ I mean, what do you want from me in exchange?” I asked haughtily and shook my head at the density of his brain.

“Hey. I might be mean sometimes but I still have a heart,” he answered cheekily and gave me one of his playful grins. I furrowed my eyebrows in doubt but if he really could get me in to Ongaku, I couldn’t do anything to pass the chance.

“…Okay,” I told him. “So… how are you going to convince the guard to let us in?” I doubted he could do it. The school security guards were the most bad-tempered people in the world. I swear they were out just to get students into trouble.
“Just watch,” he said with a smirk and then cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Shilaehamnida~”

I raised an eyebrow at him and watched him precariously.
“Shilaehamnida~~~~~~~~~” he stretched out his ‘excuse me’ past the school gates. It wasn't long until a big lady in the Ongaku security staff uniform came out from the main entrance.
Sorry I had to say it, but she really was a big lady.

She approached us with a pestered look on her face and I looked down at my shoes, intimidated by her agitated expression. I closed my hands tight around the straps of my knapsack and let Mr. Cool do the talking.

“Annyeonghaseyo~” I heard him say in his light airy voice. “We’re students from here. I’m sorry that we’re late. We had a family emergency in the morning.”
My head perked up and I shot him a confused stare. Who the heck was FAMILY with him?!

“Oh? Is that so?” Big Lady security guard asked. Before I could catch her smug smile, I looked down at my feet again. “That’s just too bad, kids. It doesn’t change a thing. You know the rules.” I suddenly felt the ground shake and figured that she was probably walking back into the school. I knew that he couldn’t do it.

“Jwesonghajiman!” that guy yelled out and reached an arm into the gaps of the gates. “I promise there won’t be a next time! Please let us in, agashi!”
Ha, I never knew he had it in him to act but I nearly choked on air when I heard him shout those ridiculous words.

I quickly looked up and saw her slowly walking back towards us and the gates.
When she was close enough, I saw her blush though she kept a straight mean face.

“What was that young man?” she asked in a hoarse voice. She was obviously entranced by the way he called to her though she didn’t want to show it.

I secretly rolled my eyes as he spoke again. “We apologize for our rash behavior, agashi. It really won’t happen again,” he claimed in a sweet tone.

….

After a moment of silence, I peered to the corner of my eyes, wondering why it got so quiet.

The answer was four words: Sad. Puppy. Dog. Face.
The security guard lady was completely captured by him and it was sickening… then again what right did I have to mock her? I myself was staring – staring straight at him – and at that moment, my heart stopped.

:: Track 03 ::

“…Thanks,” I muttered quietly under my breath as we walked into Ongaku. I kept my face glued to the floor because I didn’t want him to see my blush. Darn his stupid expressions.
“I told you I could get us in without getting into trouble,” he said and though I wasn’t looking at him, I could sense the arrogance in his voice. He let out another one of his laughs and I gasped softly when I felt his hand ruffle through my light brown hair. “See you around,” he added and took off.

When I was sure that he was gone, I peered up and let out a breath of air.
I think it’s a strange habit of mine but I adjusted my knapsack straps again.

I stared down the hallway where he probably disappeared off to and raised my hands to touch my blazing hot cheeks. Gosh. I wasn’t falling for him! It was just because he looked cute for that one second and praising someone for their good looks was completely different from falling in love with them! Yeah! Totally different!
I then thought about his stupid face again and let out a cry.

‘Stop thinking about him! You don’t even know him, Kwon BoA!’ I yelled at myself and then I froze when I realized – I didn’t know his name. There goes my chance of ever finding him again… but wait! That’s good! Ha! A 100% guarantee that nothing would happen between him and me.

“BoA!” I then snapped my head in the other direction which the forced whisper came from. “BoA~ hurry up! You’re late!” She didn’t need to tell me twice. I was INCREDIBLY late and hurriedly stumbled into the back door of the classroom.


“Oh my gosh, LiYin~ you don’t even want to know what happened to me today,” I said to my best friend in a low voice as I crawled over to my seat next to hers. I couldn’t risk having the teacher see me but of course, Bad Luck for BoA day didn’t end yet.

“Really? What happened?” a mature female voice said mockingly and I gulped, not daring to look up. “I’d like to know, Miss Kwon,” my teacher added and hit me on the head with a ruler.
“I never thought I would see the day that my top student, Kwon BoA, the daughter of the respected Kwon violinist family would show up late to my class… and on all fours too.” I heard the rest of my classmates snicker.

I quickly jumped up to my feet and dusted off my Ongaku uniform. “I-I’m sorry, Miss Lee,” I bowed over and over again in apology. My cheeks were once again blazing hot but for a completely different reason. Her arms were crossed tightly in front of her petite body and she smiled with a chilling effect.

“I’ll let it slide this time. But no more tardiness, araseo?” Miss Lee asked in a stern tone. I could feel her frightening eyes glaring down at me.
“N-neh~” I answered nervously and sat down at my desk in humiliation.

“Well then!” Miss Lee exclaimed to project her voice throughout the classroom. She walked up towards the chalkboard in the front and resumed the lesson. “Who was Mozart?”

:: Track 04 ::

At lunch, I sat silently at the tables outside in the courtyard and sulked. It was definitely one of the worst days of my life. Even the bento of unagi and spicy tuna rolls couldn’t make me smile.

From the side, I could feel LiYin staring at me with a cheerful expression. My best friend was always happy no matter what.

I then blinked when I heard her let out a small giggle. Her voice was smooth and enchanting. “Why were you so late, BoA?”

I looked up at her with a pouty face and ran into with a bear hug. “Wahh~ my Omma is making me get married to Yoochun!”

As I wailed, LiYin calmly the back of my long straight hair. “Heh, there there. Yoochun doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He’s better than all of your past boyfriends combined.”

I pulled away from the embrace and shot her an ‘are-you-kidding-me? - glare.
“Yah!” I shouted and put up a finger. “One, do not talk about my ex-es! And two!” I gladly put up another finger. “If you think Yoochun is so good then you can marry him, Zhang Li Yin!”

LiYin tilted her head to the side and smiled warmly at me. “No, it’s okay~” She then leaned her hand on her chin and looked up at the clouds. “I already have someone.”

I jerked my head out of surprise. Since when did LiYin have a crush?

“Wait! What – what? You like somebody? How come you never told me? How long has this been going on?” I asked her in an anxious voice. I wanted to know all the details. What can I say? I’m nosy.

LiYin sat up straight again and looked to my bewildered face. “Um … I didn’t tell you because you just broke up with your boyfriend during the time.” I scrunched up my eyes at her and she let out an uneasy laugh. “I mean your ex,” she corrected herself and held my hand. “…Are you mad at me for not telling you?”

I gazed back at her large sparkling eyes and sighed. How could I be mad at her? She was keeping her feelings inside so that she wouldn’t hurt me. How could I be mean to such a caring friend?

I shook my head and saw her glossy pink lips curl into a smile. “Yay!” she exclaimed and hugged me by the arm.

“But you have to show me who he is. Right now!” I commanded and jabbed a finger onto the lunch table. I saw my rolls of sushi bounce up due to the force.

“Sure!” LiYin said excitedly and gazed around the courtyard, looking for her crush. “Ah, I don’t think he’s here though…” Aww, she looked disappointed. It was the first time I’ve seen her made such a gloomy face. Then again, it was the first time she was in love.

“Well do I know him? What does he look like?” I asked as I glanced around with her.
LiYin shook her head and stuck out her lower lip. She blinked her big brown eyes innocently at me.

“No… he’s not in any of our classes…” LiYin answered but then the next second, she perked up again. “Ah! He’s tall and cute though! His hair is kind of like…” her eyes shifted left and right. “Kind of like yours!”

I peered down at the strands of light brown hair that hung over my chest. I hope she was talking about the color.

I picked up the ends of it and narrowed my eyes back at her. “He has my hair color?” I asked and she nodded, thank God.
“Yup! And…” LiYin scratched against the flawless skin of her cheek. She was obviously thinking of a better description than just tall and cute. That could be any guy… like that guy this morning.

Ugh! Why did I have to think about him again?

“He hangs out with Kim JaeJoong,” LiYin continued before I hit myself and I tilted my head to the side. Kim JaeJoong sounded like a nice name.

“Who’s that?” I asked without thinking and blinked back at her.
For some reason, LiYin looked surprised and covered her open mouth. She gasped dramatically as if I have committed an unspeakable crime.

“BoA! Are you serious?” LiYin questioned with wide eyes. She still had her hand over . Was it so terrible that I didn’t know who this Kim JaeJoong was?
“Yeah… am I supposed to?” I lowered my eyes at her. I was beginning to feel weird about this.

“He’s only like, one of the most popular guys in school!” LiYin said loudly and unleashed her feelings of pure disbelief. By now she was standing up and a few heads turned to stare at us. LiYin caught them looking and sat down quietly with a flushed face.

I let out a giggle into my closed hand and picked up my chopsticks to start lunch.
She was still staring at me wildly and I gave her a small shrug.

“I really don’t know him,” I told her honestly and popped a spicy tuna roll in my mouth.
“Hm…” she said and moved left and right. “It must be because he doesn’t come to class that often,” LiYin thought out loud as she settled down and opened the lid to her own bento. “Well, he’s pretty handsome and his hands are like gifts from God.”

Whoa. Handsome? Gifts from God?

“Omo, LiYin, since when did you start talking like this?! And how do YOU know about his hands?! Omo, don’t tell me you –“ I pointed an accusing finger at her and she quickly swatted my arm away.
“No! Ayo, BoA, it’s not like that!” LiYin argued back and I started laughing again. I laughed until my stomach hurt.

“Hahahaha, then what is it?” I asked in between my giggles. Tears even started coming out of my eyes.
LiYin cleared and poked my shoulder until I was calm again.
I slapped my hand on the table and slowed down my breathing to recompose myself.

“Hehe, sorry, sorry~ I’m paying attention!” I told her, releasing a huff of air.
“Well if you want to know why, it’s because he’s the best piano player in Ongaku. Like ever,” LiYin told me with a straight face and I choked on my sushi. It wasn’t an answer I was expecting but then again, what was I expecting LiYin to say?

“Kim JaeJoong plays the piano?” I repeated to get it into my head. I had a hand over my mouth so that the sushi wouldn’t fall out.
My best friend nodded and lifted a clump of rice to with her pink chopsticks. “Mhm, he doesn’t play very often but I saw him perform for the school recital once. He’s really really good. Like a professional. I’ve heard girls call him the Prince of the piano.”

Hm... I thought to myself and gazed up at the clouds in the bright blue sky. Kim JaeJoong, eh?