Title: Fate

Author: hangarianne

Requested by: Kpopfan65

Characters: Jaebum / Jaerin (OC)

Disclaimer: This is a GOT7 fan fiction originally written by hangarianne. Any similarities to real-life persons, situations, places, etc. are coincidental. No copyright infringement intended.

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JAERIN’S POV

I plopped on my bed without even bothering to erase the tons of make-up on my face. I could hear my mom calling me from outside my bedroom door.

“Jaerin-ah, open the door!” she demands, half-annoyed and half-worried. “Stop acting like a kid!”

I covered my face with a pillow. You’re right… I’m a kid… A sore loser…

She pounds on my door, “Jaerin-ah!”

“PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!” I yelled and I could hear her finally step back. She must’ve noticed the hurt in my voice. Why?

The more I tried to hold my tears in, the harder it was to breathe.

“WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!” I yelled as I barged towards the table where my laptop is. I opened the lid with so much force I could’ve broken the whole thing.

“Im… Jaebum…” I mouthed as I typed on the search bar.

My eyes scanned all the results and I checked the top ones, reading everything about him. “TV host-model-actor? The hell does he know about pageants?! How could he do that to me?” I punched the table and covered my face. Finally, I let go of my tears.

FLASHBACK

Tonight is what everyone’s been waiting for – the grand coronation night of Miss Korea 2015, the queen who will represent the country in this year’s prestigious beauty pageant, Miss Universe.

To ease the anxiety I was feeling, I tried to engage my fellow candidates in a group conversation but they didn’t seem to be in the mood.

“Hey.” I walked over to Nana, this year’s Miss Seoul. “I’m soooo nervous. Are you too?”

She looks up at me then around her, as if she’s looking for someone. “…”

She looks back at me with a straight face and shrugs without saying a word.

Huh? I was about to leave when a woman, probably a reporter, approaches us. “Miss Nana? Miss Jaerin?”

In an instant, Nana’s expression changes and smiles sweetly. “Hi!” She greets. “Actually Jaerin and I were just chatting… you know… to ease the tension…”

“Wow, so are you two close friends?”

“Yes, we’re very close…”

In my mind, I rolled my eyes realizing just how fake she was.

“That’s nice to hear!” The woman cheerfully tells us. “I mean… well, you two are the frontrunners of this year’s pageant so it’s nice to know while you’re technically rivals, you’re still good friends.”

Nana and I laugh and as soon as the reporter leaves, the former glares back at me, “Don’t think I was serious about that. Just go.” She waves her hand and dismisses me.

This girl! Trying to keep my cool, I smile at her and say, “I hope to see you at the question and answer portion. Do well.” And with that, I left. I think I saw her glare at me. Hah.

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The presentation of all candidates, the swimsuit competition and the evening gown portion, I passed them all with ease. It was my first time entering a beauty pageant but with my skills and confidence, I was able to triumph over the other girls.

Question and answer portion…

I was the last person to get asked. One of the younger judges, Im Jaebum, a famous TV host-model-actor, asked me in a rather intimidating way. “What made you join a beauty pageant?”

Holy. A short yet difficult question.

“Now that’s a very hard question… But I’m sure this beautiful lady here will be able to answer it easily,” One of the emcees, Eric Nam, comments, giving me time to organize my thoughts.

“Thank you, Mr. Im.” I smile at him before going straight to the point. “I wanted to make a difference – both in mine and others’ lives. With the help of everyone around me… through this competition … I will be able to meet, to reach people from various walks of life. I will be able to influence them in ways that I could never imagine. And they, too, will inspire me. This is what I’m after – the inspiration… the experience… Thank you very much.”

As soon as I finished, the audience started clapping and cheering for me like they’ve already declared me as the winner. As I strutted back to my place, I smiled at Nana who was standing at the other end nervously.

I was so sure that I’d place ahead of her and I did. She’s second runner-up while I was first. Yes, I didn’t win...

END OF FLASHBACK

I cried my eyes out as flashbacks of everything that happened tonight filled my mind. My thoughts are interrupted when I heard my mom knocking on my door again.

“Jaerin-ah… You have a guest…” She sounded nervous. At this time of the night?

Before coming out, I wiped my face with make-up remover, making sure that no trace of me crying will be noticed. Have they changed their mind and decided to give me the crown instead?

I came out and found a man sitting by the living room. He had his back facing me so I couldn’t tell who he was.

Seeing me approaching, my mother tells my guest, “I’ll leave you two alone, Mr.—“ She stops as the man shakes his head and bows, probably hinting at her than he didn’t want her to reveal his identity just yet.

But why? It didn’t take me long to know the answer.

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JAEBUM’S POV

The first time I laid my eyes on her, it felt like something was pulling me towards her. I suddenly had this realization that I should be with her; that I need to be with her. This is the first time something like this happened to me. Is this what they call love? Is