Album No. 7

:: Track 01 ::

Right after the heavy metal gates to Ongaku closed, I realized I didn’t know how to get to Kim JaeJoong’s house! I smacked myself on the forehead and whimpered. Why was my brain getting so stupid?

I quickly dashed back to entrance and rattled the heavy iron bars.
“Junsu! Junsu yah!” I screamed, hoping that he hadn’t already left for class. He was my only connection to any Kim JaeJoong information! After a few minutes of crazy shouting, I realized it was too late. Gah!

Out of frustration, I struck the gates with the palm of my hand but I soon regretted it. Those things hurt!
I shook my hand in the air from the sting and then swung my knapsack off to get my phone.

I hurriedly scrolled down the contacts list and I was about to press send but my finger froze.
Would it be weird if I called him and asked him for his house address? God, he’d probably tease me and ask me why I wasn’t in school…

My cheeks grew warm and I bit onto my strawberry lips. To hell with it. I was already outside Ongaku and I can’t get back in. I might as well go all the way. Kim JaeJoong missing class is my fault anyway, checking up on him was the least I could do. And plus, Junsu told me that he said thank you, and I want to know what for.

Send!

I crossed my arms and tapped my foot repeatedly on the ground as I waited for him to pick up. He better.
“Yeoboseyo?” Kim JaeJoong answered after the second ring and for some reason I choked. His voice… it sounded different on the phone… like… hotter…wait no! Stop thinking like that BoA!

“Is this pabo?”
I narrowed my eyes and felt like punching him. Yes, even through the phone.
“Dummy!” I called but all he did was chuckle in response.
“What are you calling me for? Ms. Lee isn’t here today?” he questioned and I gulped. This felt so awkward…
“…Y-yah!” My shyness started to take over. Kwon BoA, buck up! This means nothing!
“W-Where’s your house?”

Kim JaeJoong paused and for a second I thought he hung up one me. “…My house?” He questioned back and let out a short laugh. “Why do want to know? Planning to stalk me?”
“No! What’s with you and the stalking?! Nobody wants to stalk you, Kim JaeJoong!” I screamed into my phone and crossed the street to the bus stop. I didn’t want to walk so much.
“Okay, okay, geez. I was just kidding,” he said. His ears were probably throbbing from my incessant yelling. I could tell from his voice. Ha, served him right. “You have a piece of paper and pen?”

I sat down on the bench and pulled out my favorite Hello Kitty lead pencil and notebook. “Uh huh~”
He then told me how to get to his house and I wrote everything down, not missing a detail. The last thing I needed was to get lost, not to mention I never rode a public pus before.

“Wait,” Kim JaeJoong then stated with confusion in his voice. “Are you coming over right now?”
I coughed lightly into my hand as my face grew hot. “…Yeah. Can’t I?”
“Well sure but what about schoo –“

“Don’t worry about it!” I exclaimed to cut him off. He can ask me anything later. I just wanted to get off the streets before truant officers caught me. “So I’ll see you soon! Bye!”
I hung up before he could say another word. Without my consent, my lips curled into a tiny smile. I then shook my head. Stop looking forward to this BoA! It’s nothing!

:: Track 02 ::

After a good seven minute wait, the bus finally pulled up to the stop. I bet I would have made it to Kim JaeJoong’s house already if I had just walked. But whatever. It’s not like I was in a hurry to see him.

I grabbed onto the straps of my knapsack and slowly ascended the steps. I glanced around and noticed that there were a bunch of old people on the bus. They all stared at me like I didn’t belong. Heh, I guess I didn’t. I was supposed to be in school after all.

I then paid the bus driver at the front and hurried to an empty seat. I covered the Ongaku Academy logo on my school uniform by putting my knapsack on the front and tried my best not to look back at the other passengers. Later on my neck started to hurt so I had to glance up.

When I did, I saw that there was another guy on the bus that looked like he was around my age. Maybe a little older, like in college or something. He was staring right at me and then grinned to the side when our eyes met. I shifted my gaze away, feeling as if he was trying to make a move. He had better not! I knew some tae kwon do!

I then thought of the time that Geun Suk trapped me. So much for my brief knowledge of martial arts then. But the memory wasn’t all that bad since I escaped. But not without Kim JaeJoong’s help… hehe, he always saves me. Wait, what was that giggle for?

“Hey~” a male voice said and when I pulled out of my thoughts, I saw that same guy who was staring at me, right over my head. He was holding onto the metal bars with one hand and was still grinning the same way. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

My heart started to race. I hated getting caught and I wasn’t going to let this guy expose me.
“Shouldn’t you?” I retorted smartly and gave him my mean glare. He looked like he was a student too.
Surprisingly, he shook his head and then sat down next to me. “Graduated already.”
My cheeks flushed a little from the mistake so I decided to ignore him by turning the other way.

However he leaned over and tried to catch my gaze. “I have an idea,” he said but I wasn’t going to look back.
“Since you’re not in school. And I’m not in school…” he then whispered in a husky voice and got closer as I tried my best to inch away. “How about we do something fun together?”
I snapped my head back at him and shot him a wide-eyed look. What a creep!
Before I knew it, he put a hand over my knee and was sliding it up. HOLY mini cooperAKE MUSHROOMS!

“YAH!” I screamed and stood up so that his hand slipped off.
“Don’t be so loud, girl,” that assaulter said and grabbed my wrist. He wanted to pull me back near him. As if!

My eyes widened at where he touched me and I frantically shook out of his grasp. I smacked him across the face with my knapsack and ran out of the bus. Luckily it stopped right where I had to get off else I couldn’t have gotten away!

I turned around outside and watched the bus drive off. Good thing he didn’t get off with me either. It must have been because I jumped out at the last second. Again, lucky.

I let out a sigh of relief and patted my chest to calm down. That was a close one. That totally taught me never to ride a public bus – EVER again.

:: Track 03 ::

Clutching onto my knapsack straps as a habit, I strolled down the street looking around for Kim JaeJoong’s house. He said it was pretty big so I couldn’t miss it. Pft, show off.

Eventually feet stopped right in front of what was possibly the most beautiful mansions I had ever seen. It was close to looking like one of those ancient but classical Victorian palaces, only modern-styled.

“Wow…” I muttered softly under my breath and then tilted my head to its side. Something about this place was suspicious. I swung my knapsack off my back again and quickly pulled out my Hello Kitty notebook. I flipped to the back page where I wrote down Kim JaeJoong’s address and my eyes slowly widened.

I darted my gaze back and forth from the notebook paper to the house number in the distance to double check. What the heck!? Kim JaeJoong lives here?! He’s got to be kidding!

:: Track 04 ::

“I told you I wasn’t kidding,” Kim JaeJoong claimed arrogantly after his maid brought me up to his room. It looked really neat and clean. He was sitting up in his king-sized bed with a bowl of chicken noodle soup in his lap. He smiled at me and my heart skipped. I didn’t know why, stupid heart!

“My house is like five times bigger than yours,” he continued and tried to pick up the silver spoon from the soup. He struggled since he was using his left hand. He was right-handed.
I was about to tell him off but seeing this, I snickered instead. “Your soup is getting cold, dummy.”

He didn’t argue back and finally got the spoon in his grasp. He held it like a little kid would, with his fingers coiled at the bottom, and literally poured the soup in his mouth from above him. What an awkward of eating. I watched him do it about two to three more times and laughed throughout the whole process.

Kim JaeJoong then dropped his soon back into its bowl making some of the soup splash out. He scrunched up his nose and glared at me. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be having this problem.”

Pft, it wasn’t my fault! Oh wait… it was. Damn.

I then pulled up a chair next to his bed and placed my hand in front of him. “Give it here,” I commanded and I hated to admit it but I probably had the most ridiculous shade of scarlet on my face.
He jerked his head back and put on a puzzled expression. “Give you what, pabo?”
I sighed and pointed at the bowl of soup. Kim JaeJoong looked at it and then back at me. His tinted cherry red lips then rose into a grin.

“Ha, you’re going to feed me?” he questioned as if it was unbelievable. And it was! …But he helped me so I guess it wasn’t much trouble to help him back this one time.
Without answering, I took the bowl of soup for myself and scooped up a good spoonful.

I glanced up at him, ready to feed him and oddly, he seemed ready too. His mouth was open wide and he was making those “ah~” noises like at the dentist when he tells you to open up. It would have been cute if it wasn’t Kim JaeJoong.

I shoved the spoon in his mouth and it looked like I nearly caused him to choke and die.
He choked all right. I quickly set the bowl aside and sat at the edge of his bed to help him pat his back to get it down.

“Yah… are you okay?” I asked with worry after a while. He wouldn’t stop coughing. Gosh, I didn’t mean to! Why am I always close to killing him?

He shook his hand in the air as he heaved another cough. He was holding onto his chest in the front.
“I-I,” Kim JaeJoong struggled to talk. My heart sunk to my stomach. Why was I so mean to him? “I – okay!” Oh god, he wasn’t talking normally! What have I done?!

“Yah, Kim JaeJoong don’t scare me~” I said with a whine and rubbed his back. “Do you need some water? I’ll get it for you!” I stood up quickly but he pulled me back just as fast. And of course by the wrist like he always does.

“I-I’m fine, really!” he exclaimed and gradually, his coughing slowed down and minimized to nothing. “But thank you for caring.” He beamed at me.

For some reason I couldn’t say anything back and simply stood staring at him. I realize that I’m always doing these bad things to him but he never really complains. Sure, Kim JaeJoong teases me a lot but he never really hurts me like I do to him.

“So, what? You skipped school just to see me?” Kim JaeJoong asked with a smile and I blinked a few times to get back to reality. Even my ears began to get hot.
“What, no!” I lied and unknowingly sat down on his bed again. I didn’t dare look him in the eye. “I-I was late again so I got locked out!” Heck to the yes. Good cover-up, Kwon BoA. He was so going to believe that one!

“Sure~” he sang and added a small laugh. I faced him with my puffed-up expression and put my hands on my hips.
“Yah, what do you mean by ‘sure~’?! I AM sure! That’s what happened!” He didn’t seem to believe me.
“But you didn’t have to come see me personally,” he said proudly and then pinched me on the cheek. “Kwiyeowo~”

My hand flew up to the side of my face and I could feel my skin heating up to like a thousand degrees. He called me cute! Oh my gosh!
My breathing started to get faster and I glanced back at him from the corner of my eye to see what he was doing. Kim JaeJoong was at it again – trying to eat by himself. I laughed on the inside to see the spoon go back and forth in the bowl, as if it was trying to run away from Kim JaeJoong’s hold.

“Um, let me do it!” I offered and tried to snatch the bowl back from him but he covered it with both his hands. I didn’t want to do any damage to his already-hurt right hand so I shrunk back.
“Nu uh~ you almost murdered me, woman!” Kim JaeJoong exclaimed and I pouted. So he wasn’t okay. That dummy.

“I promise I’ll be careful this time~” I pleaded and gave him a sad face. I didn’t even know why I was being so persistent on feeding Kim JaeJoong. Geez. What’s wrong with me?
“…Fine,” he grumbled after a minute and handed back the bowl of soup. I smiled with victory to myself.

Was he a er for cute things? Hehe, I can be cute all the time – just for him!

Wait, WHAT?!

God, I need to bash my head against a wall. There’s something definitely wrong with me!

:: Track 05 ::

Out of nowhere, I heard the door click and we both turned our heads to the entrance.
In came a middle-aged lady who looked like one of the most typical rich moms in those Korean dramas or movies. She was dressed with good fashion sense from head to toe and even when she was older, she was quite pretty. Wait a second! Was this Kim JaeJoong’s mom?

I rapidly got up to my feet and made a deep bow. It was so low that I nearly dipped my nose into Kim JaeJoong’s bowl of soup. When I stood up straight again, I nervously set the bowl down behind me onto the bedside table.

“Annyeonghashimnika,” I greeted very politely as the older woman stared at me. She looked very shocked to see me in Kim JaeJoong’s room. Come to think of it, I’d be surprised if I was her too! She probably wasn’t expecting my visit, right? Oh my gosh! What would she think of me? She must be thinking that I’m a rude pushy girl who just barges into her home without asking! Omo! My heart started to pound rapidly against the inside of my chest. This was not good.

Suddenly, the woman broke into a smile and walked up to me. I rapidly looked down and saw that she was wearing classy red high heels. They would have clicked against the floor if it wasn’t carpeted, just like my mom’s.

“Why hello~” she said with a tender look and I glanced up shyly. She actually seemed quite nice and friendly up close. “Who’s this, Joongie?” she turned to Kim JaeJoong to ask. Aww, Joongie sounds adorable~ Er, I mean the name, not the person!
“Her name is Kwon BoA, Omma. She’s the girl I’ve been teaching piano to,” he explained. My heart fell a bit. So I was just a girl he taught piano to. “She’s my friend at Ongaku.”

I turned back to see Kim JaeJoong beaming. Friend? My spirits quickly soared back up and I smiled.
I swiveled around when Kim JaeJoong’s mom placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Well I’m glad,” Mrs. Kim said and looked at me almost like she was my own mother. “You know my Joongie hasn’t brought a girl home since –“

“Ommeoni!” Kim JaeJoong yelled and he glared at his mom like she was about to reveal a big secret. I wanted to hear more! He’s brought another girl home before?! I glowered at him.

Kim JaeJoong’s mad expression then fell and he began to laugh nervously as he scratched the back of his head. “I mean, Ommeoni~” his voice was sweeter this time. “Why don’t you, uh, call Abeoji and see what he’s up to in the business plans? Didn’t you say that there was a huge project to work on or something?”

Mrs. Kim put a finger in the air when she remembered. “Oh that’s right! I’ll check on you in a few minutes, Joongie ah. Nice meeting you BoA, dear~” And with that, she quickly left the room and I let out a long sigh of relief. The atmosphere was more comfortable without her here. Not that I didn’t like her or anything. It just took the world off my shoulders.

:: Track 06 ::

I turned back after the door closed and saw Kim JaeJoong with drops of sweat rolling down the side of his face. What was he so worked up about?
“So who was the girl you used to bring over?” I questioned bluntly and crossed my arms. My nosy side kicked in and I desperately wanted to know.

He perked up and shot me a glare. He even had his arms crossed. “Don’t worry about it. Just worry about your Yoochun.”
My eyes then grew large. “How do you know his name?!” I shrieked. He really caught me off guard with that one. Do my parents tell him everything?!

“Like I said, I have my sources,” Kim JaeJoong made a mocking expression. He was clearly upset about something and it bothered me that I didn’t know what it was. Whatever.
I sat down on the edge of his bed again and approached a subject that I was always curious about.

“By the way, I thought you didn’t like to talk about your family…” I began softly and blinked innocently at him.
His expression grew softer and he unfolded his arms. “I didn’t.”
“Why not? Your mom seems really nice,” I brought up and he then let up a hint of a smile.
“I know,” Kim JaeJoong expressed and then used his unhurt hand to ruffle my hair. “Thanks, pabo.”

Oh! Is this what he was saying thank you for? But I still don’t understand.

“I used to think they hated me,” Kim JaeJoong revealed and my heart suddenly hurt for him. That has got to be the worst feeling in the world. Even when my parents were a bit annoying, I wouldn’t want them to hate me.

Kim JaeJoong let out a sigh and continued. “So that girl I brought home in the past… she was a close friend of mine.” I squinted my eyes at him, unsure of what he was getting at. I just knew that it kind of bothered me that she was a close friend. Ergh. My heart felt funny.

“She was the daughter of a dance company tycoon but one day, her dad lost everything in the stock market and got desperate.” Kim JaeJoong paused to clear his throat. He looked like he was about to cry and if he did, I was going to cry with him. I could never stand watching other people cry without tearing up myself, especially if they were guys.

“He used her to get to me... She stole my parents’ billion dollar project plans and her family ran away to London,” Kim JaeJoong stated. Whoa.

“After that,” he spoke up and tried to hide a sniffle. “My parents always worked like twenty four seven to cover up for their losses. And I never really got to see them anymore. They barely talked to me even when they were home.”

Aww… no wonder he was always so upset.

“But because of you,” Kim JaeJoong said and I glanced up at him, meeting with his dark chocolate eyes. There was something soothing in them and I couldn’t look away. He smiled.
“Because of you I realized that they don’t hate me. They were just busy and I wasn’t being really nice to them either. Always skipping class and staying out late,” he told me with a light chuckle.

“You know, the only times I got to see my mom before today was when she yells at me to get up in the morning for school,” Kim JaeJoong said with a short laugh. “I even cherished those moments because at least it meant she cared in a way.” He looked down and played with the bandage over his hand.
“I’m silly, aren’t I?” he then asked and gazed into my eyes.

I beamed at him and shook my head left and right. It was normal. “But you should have known that no matter what,” I spoke up and put a hand over his shoulder. “Your parents will always care about you because you are still their son.”

We eventually got caught up in another one of our staring contests and I had to break it off. The room was getting presumably hotter. “Dummy~” I said and pushed him playfully at the side of his head with my finger.

We both laughed and I couldn’t help but say that it was a nice moment.
“See? Getting jumped on by five other guys can have its perks,” Kim JaeJoong joked. I think he did it to remind me that it was my fault again.
I picked up my hand to slap him on the chest. “Yah~ I didn’t tell you to help –“ He held onto my hand before I could hit him. I immediately blushed.

In one fast motion, he moved his lips right next to my face. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for what was going to happen next. My heart was once again beating uncontrollably. Was he going to k-ki-ss me?
“Don’t worry, I wanted to help.” I could feel Kim JaeJoong’s warm breath against my ear. “I can’t let anyone hurt you, pabo.”

I blinked furiously and felt like I was about to faint from the crazy heat in here. I was looking down, watching my chest heave up and down from the nervousness of the close distance between us. All of a sudden, Kim JaeJoong let go of my hand. …Was that it?

I gazed up at him with a curious expression. He returned to his original position, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. What was up with that? Was he just trying to play me?
Kim JaeJoong then made his teasing grin. He obviously didn’t see what he did to me. Hmph!

“Are you hungry?” he asked and patted his tummy. “I could tell my maid to make you something. I think I want to have some rice.”

“Ah!” I exclaimed and pulled my knapsack onto my lap. I happily opened the flap and took out the bentos that I packed earlier this morning.
“Kim JaeJoong, try my fried rice!” I said to him and put the blue bento box in his hands. He looked down at it and then up at me with an amused face.

“You made this by yourself?” he asked and laughed lightly. I nodded with a big smile and watched as he opened the lid carefully. He peeked in and took a sniff before removing the top fully.
“Smells good,” he remarked and I scratched my earlobe coyly. “But it looks like a mess, pabo.”

I widened my eyes and leaned in to take a closer look. Damn! I must have ruined it when I smacked that assaulter guy on the bus! Argh!

“Out of all the bentos girls have given me, I think this one is the worst,” Kim JaeJoong said with a chuckle and that made me mad. There were other girls giving him bentos too?!

“But this one…” he stated in a soft voice. He tilted his head a little lower and looked at me with his dark chocolate eyes. “This one is the most special.”

…Oh my gosh ♥