YEAR 2010: SECOND PULL

CLUB Rococo was filled into the brim; there was so very little room for me to wander around. To top it off, I couldn’t see my two friends who came with me that night. Everything about me is on the average level, including my height. How am I supposed to find my two giant idiots out of these bodies?

It was a bad idea, I knew from the very start when I received the invitation from Jo who I’ve been spending more time with due to being Professor Kim’s assistant; more like being shoved to handle his case since I’m the one who lose some of the crucial papers due to my lack on luck. Blamed it to the crowd and super good quality of earphone that had me unaware of my surrounding.

Apparently Mr. Lee Hyuk Joo, the owner of that haggard café, is actually a famous videographer whose skill has been acknowledged by people in the creative world. He got a new job and asked me to tag along with him with the intention of getting to know more about his field of job in order to help me create a concept that fit him for his private gallery design.

Mr. Lee Hyuk Joo, or Jo as he asked me to call him, has a very unique taste and personality. He looks like just a normal lanky man but his preference doesn’t describe his appearance. Hello kitty on the outside but full metal on the inside.

I followed him on his job for two times already when he gave me the pass for three people to join Big Bang on their MV production, said that he was asked to help. I’ve never been in a club before so I brought my two giant idiots with me who practically left me by myself the instant we stepped inside.

*******

I thought that shooting an MV required lots of take but knowing that Jo was called to help, I should’ve known it better that they wouldn’t need to make it as structured as I expected it to be. The club was practically boozed to the max as if it’s running like the usual.

I saw Jo working his magic from up there before suddenly I got yanked and stood on top of the table. People shouting at my direction, two male figures moved their body swaying with the beats asking me to do the same.

I blanked out, and shied out once I understand what kind of situation I got myself into. I wasn’t ready to have Jo shoot my face, no. I looked down and felt myself being hugged briefly from my right side. Struggled a little bit to get down from the bar table, thankful when somebody reached out to offer me a hand to balance out myself and quickly scurried away from the hot scene.

Amidst all the crazy beats and screams, I could feel my thumping hearts. I needed a fresh air, probably the stupidest move of mine to make after being so close with those girls’ sweetheart.

I was standing outside of the club, merely leaning on the wall when suddenly once again I found myself being yanked away. Just my luck, ty luck.

*******

The smoke that came out of the mug succeeds to have my full attention but as soon as I reached out to capture the warmth it promised, my trembling hands caught my attention instead.

Before I even able to grab a good hold of it, the mug was being pushed gently to my trembling fingers and a contented sigh escaped my lips. I didn’t realize how bad I looked like till a white tissue being given and tucked into my left hands.

I blinked out of my stoic trance and looked up to the man who was sitting in front of me; he made a hesitant move to encourage me to wipe my face. As I did so, I realized that tears has been escaping my eyes all this time in a very slow motion and once I got the gist, it poured down heavily.

I blamed it to the stress that has been piling up within me, definitely trying hard to avoid putting the blame unto the misery that has just befallen unto me moments ago.

The man came back to sit in front of me with another mug of warm milk and placed it gently into my right hands as he gracefully pulled out the emptied cup away from me.

“Thank you.” I mumbled out with that raspy voice and indulged myself into drinking the warm milk, more like focusing myself into trying to capture the warmth once again hoping that somehow it stays inside me. A futile work, I know.

“You’re welcome.” His voice is somehow velvety, and eerily gentle. Three seconds later I heard his question “Is it really that good?”

I didn’t quite get what he implied, instead my eyes shifted to the stacks of tissue he pushed to my direction. He shoved my hands away gently and reached my face, swiped away my tears ever so softly as though I am some sort of porcelain.

“There, do you feel any better?” I could listen to his voice all day long and wouldn’t get bored, probably due to its soothing effect. “Don’t cry anymore, your tears will turn that hot chocolate milk into a salted one.”

I blinked and looked up to meet his gaze, this time without those bleary tears to cover my judging orbs. To say that I was stunned is an understatement, I became as still as a rock.

There in front of me seated the one and only smiling Kim Jae Joong, whose denim jacket has been draped unto my body to cover my ripped see-through shirt.

His eyebrow furrowed as he blinked and asked, “What’s wrong?”

I blinked, and blinked. A hundred consecutive blinks I supposed that prompted his next question, “Are you alright?”

My throat was dry, so nothing came out as close to the answer he wanted to hear. He tilted his head and scooted closer, “Yes? What were you saying?”

My pathetic stance was saved by the black mobile phone that was just being put on top of the table by another man with bulky body. “Is this yours?” He asked.

“I found it on the alley where she gotten out of when we chased away her assailant. The others are preparing to leave.” The bulky man explained as he grabbed another chair from other table and placed it in between me and Kim Jae Joong. “Don’t worry miss, your assailant has been put into his rightful place.”

I gulped as the earlier encounter being played again inside my head. I was thankful for the bulky man to speak again, therefore my attention shifted into another thing. “And oh, miss, your mobile phone was ringing when I picked it up.”

The bulky man pushed the black mobile phone into my direction. I nodded, had wanted to say thanks verbally when my black mobile phone decided to ring with the name Professor Kim popping out on the screen.

Hastily, I answered it. My original plan was to answer it coolly, as collected as I can but it all broke down once I heard my one and only guardian representative there in South Korea, the closer figure of being my mother asked about my whereabouts and rammed her lips into that long rumble of nag that I recognized it as a form of her taking care of me. I cried while calling her name, this time with loud sobs.

*******

I think it was two in the morning when the car finally pulled a stop. Professor Kim has already been standing there, her face covered with worries. She was in her sleeping attire, completely out of her usual stoic professional appearance. A stark contrast to what she had always teach me about appearance whenever to step outside the cocoon called house.

I hopped down the car and quickly ran to her opened arms, salvaging the warmth. She cooed me as I broke into small sobs again; I didn’t pay attention into my surrounding anymore completely unaware of the others greeting each other as though they’ve known each other for a long long time already.

I was out of my mind that night to actually miss the sign and wonders surrounding my situation, that when I was sent up to Professor Kim’s flat, actually I was followed by the whole crew. Even when I was tucked in by Professor Kim, somehow I failed to notice another two figures that stood right behind my dear professor.

It wasn’t when morning came and I was greeted by a smiling woman who introduced herself as Kim Su Young, the younger sister of Professor Kim Min Kyeong that I realized it.

It was when this Kim Su Young ushered me out of the guest bedroom into the kitchen to have my brunch and when Professor Kim Min Kyeong came out from a room bickering with a man that I felt familiar with, I realized it.

Kim Min Kyeong. Kim Su Young. Kim Jae Joong.

“Oh, good morning.” He greeted still with that addicting velvety voice that oozed out some sort of soothing effect on me. “How are you feeling?”

They are siblings. And that I stink like anchovies.

[A/N]

What would you do should you encounter the same situation as our OC here?

I think I would just stay rooted to the ground and stare.