December 25, 2013

Gangnam, Seoul South Korea

Three Star Coffee Shop

4: 25 PM

"Love is a trap.When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows"

Paulo Coelho's famous quote about secret love kept echoing in her mind as she watched three tables away the twenty four year old tall dashing man in blue shirt and black denim jeans exchanging a smile to a middle age ajumma whom remembered as his mother.When the man peered over her direction,twenty one year old romance novelist Choi Sulli simply turned her head to the side to make it show she was searching or waiting for someone.

"Rule number one,don't be too obvious"she mumbled while taking a sip of her frappucino.The man shrugged  with a little smile on his face and returned his attention to his mother sitting beside him.

Slowly,Sulli's eyeballs moved back to him while pushing her knitted red scarf up to hide half of her face."Rule number two,don't let him recognize you"she whispered, pretending to speak to an invisible friend.

"Choi Sulli?!"said the male voice behind her.Some customers in the nearest table jerked their heads to look at her,one of them was the man she secretly been following for less than a year.After he saved her life from the near death road accident she became his stalker/shadow.Her lonely heart transformed into a happy one since that memorable day.There were times she wanted to introduce herself to him but held back because of her low self esteem.She decided to love him secretly and admire him from a distance.

She would wake up every morning with her alarm clock chanting over and over again to "Mr Savior Wake- Up Time".She would pop out of bed,opened her curtains which gave her a clearer view straight across the alley and into her dream boy apartment in a building that was taller and expensive than hers.Through her late father's binoculars,she would follow along everything he does, from his morning rituals of stretching, to push ups,sit ups, to eating his favorite breakfast which was eggs benedict and a cup of steaming black coffee,to taking a bath,to dressing up to his three piece Armani suit five times a week, to meeting up with friends during weekends.She was like his shadow,hiding behind trees or lamp post while following him everywhere,every breath he takes, every move he makes,every smile he gives to everyone,every stuff he buys,every food he eats,she would copy it.

Once a month,she would write her so called "Wish Upon Mr Savior" in a piece of paper,folded it neatly then slipped it inside a cookie jar.She was planning to give her twelve wishes on New Year's Eve.

Sulli closed her eyes momentarily as she silently cursed the man who called her name."Rule number three,kill whoever called your name in public"she muttered angrily and opened her eyes.

Glancing sideway,she immediately recognized him as her annoying neighbor next door Kim Kibum a.k.a Key a.k.a planet earth's biggest headache.

"It's really you!"he said as if he was seeing a damn movie star in person.

She wanted to dig a hole underneath the table and be gone forever."Now that you see me,could you please go away"she hissed,her eyes were bouncing back and forth to Mr Bank Manager/ object of affection who was busy chatting with his mother and to her loud obnoxious blonde neighbour.

"You're waiting for someone or just killing your time by drinking your favorite frappucino?"he asked grinning,obviously in the mood to ruin her afternoon-Mr-Savior-surveillance.

Sulli crossed her arms and glowered at him,using her best Freddy Krueger look of disdain before murdering his victims."And then she killed her annoying neighbor, and the jury acquitted her because they decided  he deserve to die"

Key laughed and sat next to her"Go on Miss Romance Novelist"

"I did not invite you to sit beside me"she said through gritted teeth"Just so you know I threw away the flowers you sent me yesterday"

"What flower?"he asked, a bit surprise

She gave him a dubious look"The red roses you left in my doorstep yesterday.I knew it was you Kim Kibum!you're the one who's been sending me flowers over the past two years because you like me"she accused confidently.Her gut feeling and woman instinct were telling her it was Mr Blonde Diva who was harboring feelings for her eversince she moved to her cheap apartment two years ago.She caught him twice carrying a bunch of luscious red roses in his arm,the exact flowers her silent admirer has been sending her every week with a short message "Always Smile Choi Sulli"

He looked at her as if she were a mental patient but Sulli refused to let him intimidate her."Are you taking depressant psycho active drugs like opioids or you intentionally knocked your head on the wall because you cant handle loneliness anymore?"he asked incredulously.

For a moment she thought of stabbing him in the neck using her sharp hairpin "You can deny to your hearts content but Miss Love Expert Choi Sulli had already busted your one sided l