HOLDING ON Part 8

"Hey, what's your name?" he mustered his most friendly smile as he approached her. He had been watching her from afar ever since he noticed she had been the only girl who hadn't said hello to him. It's not that he took note of each girl who greeted him that night. It's just that he wouldn't have missed this girl even if he had met her only once. How could anyone overlook such beauty?

She gave him a simple smile as a reply, but didn't quite answer his question. 

He chuckled softly, not quite giving up on such lack of response. "I'm Kim JaeJoong. Nice to meet you." He extended an arm voluntarily.

He waited, but instead of taking his offered hand, she only spoke, "I know who you are, Kim JaeJoong." She then nodded briefly at his offered hand.

Who knew such gestures could make him feel so embarrased. He had never been rejected before, much less for a mere handshake. He's the most eligible bachelor in town, even the whole of Korea! Any girl would jump at this opportunity. What's wrong with this girl? 

Even as confused as he was, he didn't let anything show. He simply smiled back as he retracted his hand, and pretended that her strange responses hadn't just flushed his self-esteem down the drain.

She noticed that tiny twitch in his eyes. Perhaps she had been a bit harsh to a considerably kind introduction, she thought. After a brief contemplation, she decided that exchanging names shouldn't cause any harm. She looked at him more kindly and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. My name's HyeoYeon. Nice to meet you."

Finally, he thought. "HyeoYeon, that's a beautiful name."

She managed to laugh. She knew well who Kim JaeJoong really was, alright. Kim JaeJoong is the only heir to the influential Kim conglomerate. And most importantly, he is also the most desirable and well-known ladies' man in town. Not that she was one of those who desires him, though. She knows well what playboys like him do for fun. Sweet-talking to perfect strangers are one of the examples, just as what he was trying out on her right then.

"So..." he took a step forward, causing her to step back and meet the wall. "Did you come here alone?"

HyeoYeon wanted to roll her eyes, but only did it inside her mind. Even if she wasn't interested to chat further with the playboy, she really didn't want to appear rude. This event was a social gathering, after all. They were meant to mingle around and socialize. "I came with my friends. But it seems all of them had already gotten themselves someone else to play with for the rest of the night."

"And you didn't join them?" he asked with a smile. "Isn't there anyone here that fits your preference?" He wasn't trying to lure her into his circle. In all honesty, he was just being friendly. He was just trying to create a good lengthy conversation so that he would be able to spend more time with this beautiful girl.

There was a meaningful smile behind the quirk of her lips. "I didn't come here for that."

"Oh, really? Then, what did you come here for?"

"If you must know," she crossed her arms. "I came because I was blackmailed by those so-called best friends."

He laughed at that. Transferring his weight to his other feet and leaned his shoulders on the wall, he too crossed his arms in front of him. "Some interesting friends you have there, I must say."

"Well... We all have that kind of friend, don't we."

He chuckled. "You think so?"

She stared at him briefly, trying to figure out where this conversation was leading to. Is this one of his playboy tricks? 

"Isn't that like a social rule?" she replied simply. "What about you? Didn't you come here with someone? Your date must be looking for you right now."

His chuckles continued, but in a slightly different tone. "Nah. I came with my friend, that guy over there," he pointed to a tall lanky man who had his arms around a girl's waist, whispering to each other at a secluded corner of the room. "But as you can see, I was ditched as well."

HyeoYeon nodded in understanding, noting that he must've broken up with the previous girlfriend only recently. Kim JaeJoong always brings his female escorts along unless they were no longer together. Bringing his guy friend could only mean that another cycle was about to start. Perhaps he could be hunting for a suitable replacement candidate tonight.

The thought made her heart skip a beat.

He couldn't possibly be aiming the arrow at her right now, could he?

***

Their conversation went on for quite a while that night. It wasn't that hard to get along with him anyway. He was very sweet and always looked out for her best interest. He's definitely earned his title the ladies' m