STORY INFO

Pink Laces

Author: shashashy
Genre(s): Fluff, Romance
Story Status: Ongoing
No. of Chapters: 4

Green texts means correction.

WARNING: If you are not the author of the story and you want to read it, a link to the story is given above. Do not read the story here.

PROLOGUE

"Chocolate." Ms. Kwon said.

"Chocolate." The class repeated.

"That's good, that's good." Ms. Kwon praised the class. "Now, English words usually sound dirty, now, exaggerate it. Cho-ko-leyth." Ms. Kwon said, her face looking scrunched. The class had to resist themselves from laughing.

"Cho-cko-leith." The class repeated.

"Make it dirtier, but good. It's really good." The class smiled as their teacher complimented them. The class was really fun.

"Now, can I have two volunteers?" As usual, two hands shot up in the air.

"Yes, Chae Mi and Eun Woo." Ms. Kwon said, beaming. "Step forward, please." The two immediately raced in front of Ms. Kwon.

"Alright, we'll be having an activity before we move on to our next discussion." Ms. Kwon said. "I'll write a few words on the board and you guys can take turns pronouncing it. Understood?" The two nodded. Once Ms. Kwon turned her back on the two, the two turned to each other and glared.

"You are so going to lose, Cha Eun Woo." Chae Mi said with a threatening glare.

"Prepare to get slapped by defeat, Im Chae Mi." Eun Woo shot back.

"Okay, you two can start now." Ms. Kwon said. "Now class, pay attention to them because-"

"Rivals. Hate. Compatible." The two read at the same time, making the class look amused. It was the same old scene.

"Visibility. Mysterious. Idiocy." Eun Woo smirked at Chae Mi, who was planning to read those three next words.

"Lunatic. Apples. Lovely." She grinned at Eun Woo, who was now glaring at her.

"Royalty. English. Pranks. Fights. Classes. School. Fantasy. Ki-"

"Okay, okay- stop." Ms. Kwon said, who can't seem to get a hint of the tension. "I thought I said you'll take turns on reading."

"It was his fault, ssaem." Chae Mi said, immediately pointing to Eun Woo.

"What the?! You were the one who took my choice of words!"

"No I didn't!" Chae Mi said. "You did!"

"Why this is just-"

"Cha Eun Woo, Im Chae Mi. Stop this instance before I give you detention." The teacher said, looking at her two brightest students in disbelief.

"So how was it? I heard you had another fight with Eun Woo..." Tzuyu, her best friend said the moment they settled down at the Chou's house.

Chou Tzuyu was Chae Mi's only best friend. Chae Mi often feels insecure when they both have sleepovers because she feels that Tzuyu is prettier. It was partially true. Tzuyu is a pretty girl with luscious shoulder-length brown hair, big and sparkling eyes, perfectly structured nose and delicate pink lips. Her body was no exception as it was 'goals', as the other girls call it. She is always neat and proper. Chae Mi, on the other hand, looks... different. She's pretty, sure. But no one can deny that even if her hair is tied into a pony tail everyday, it was still messy in a not so good way. She was also pale, but her facial features are pretty.

It had always been a wonder how the queenka and the smartest girl in the class became friends. Yes, Tzuyu is also popular in school. People often describe Tzuyu kind, while they describe Chae Mi rude and cold.

"Oh shut up. I don't want to hear about that bastard." Chae Mi scoffed as she plopped on Tzuyu's bed. "Gosh, I'm so tired." Tzuyu chuckled at her best friend.

"Hey Chae, the Autumn Ball is tomorrow. You're going to come, right?" Tzuyu said, sitting on a chair.

Chae Mi sat up straight and frowned. "I can't Tzu, you know I can't..."

"Your aunt wants you to wash the dishes and do dirty stuff. Would you choose that over the autumn ball? It's like the biggest event of the year, Chae. Well, setting aside summer, winter and spring—but you know what I mean." Tzuyu shrugged.

"Tzu, even if I can go, what do I do? I got no gown suited for the theme, I don't even have a gown!" Chae insisted.

Tzuyu smiled. "And you haven't wondered why I'm still here? Silly."

The moment Chae Mi saw what Tzuyu bought for her, she immediately concluded that it is expensive.

"Just wear it!" Tzuyu urged her as she pushed her to the bathroom.

Chae Mi sighed and looked at the mirror in Tzuyu's bathroom. Surely, even if she wears this, she would still look awful.

"Come on!" Tzuyu shouted from outside. "We don't have all day!"

Chae Mi heaved another sigh before wearing the dress. "Why did the dress code have to be long gowns?" She groaned.

"This is plain ridiculous, Tzu. I can't walk around in these. And this dress looks really expensive, maybe I should just bail." Chae Mi said as soon as she was out of the bathroom.

"Yah! Im Chae Mi, think of it as an early birthday present. Besides, if you bail, you're wasting my money." Tzuyu said, playing the guilt card. She knows Chae Mi feels guilty whenever people bought her something expensive.

"Tzu..." Chae Mi trailed off. "Fine, I'm wearing the dress. But I'm not wearing those darn heels." Chae Mi grumbled, hiding her smile.

"Whatever you say." Tzuyu shrugged, starting to apply makeup on herself.

Chae Mi went to the stand-by mirror and looked at herself. Her hair was uncombed, her face was bare from make up—the only thing setting her aside is the dress. To be frank, she thought she was some zombie in a gown.

"Come on, Chae! I'll apply your makeup!" Chae Mi went to Tzuyu's side, looking at her makeup equipment.

She admits, she looks a little bit prettier. The green dress with a faint touch of orange was in sync with her makeup. For the first time, her hair was let down. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.

"You look perfect, Chae." Tzuyu said, smiling brightly.

Tzuyu was wearing an orange dress with the bits of yellow. She looked pretty as well.

"No, not perfect. Just pretty. You're the one who looks perfect, Tzu." Chae Mi complimented, quite flustered. "Thanks for this."

"What are best friends for?" She said, smiling.

The Autumn Ball was taking place at the back of the school. The moment Chae Mi and Tzuyu arrived, they saw strings of leaves hang on the branches of trees, empty trees that have fallen leaves on the bottom, the music gear set up outside ruining the mood, and well, everything.

"This is kinda bizarre, Tzu..." Chae Mi trailed off, taking another look at the scene. "Tzu?"

Chae Mi turned around and scoffed. She saw Tzuyu on the other side of the place already, talking with her friends and boyfriend.

"Sure, what are best friends for." She said sarcastically before walking off.

Chae Mi decided to just sit down on one of the empty sets of tables and chairs since she was tired walking in her gown already. She was also feeling awkward standing alone.

"I've never seen you here before, are you a freshman? You're awfully pretty..." A boy said, catching Chae Mi's attention. That's when she realized that the boy was indeed talking to her.

She ignored the compliment. She's a senior, how can this sophomore not know that?

"People are rude, aren't they?" Someone said the moment the boy left. Chae Mi looked in front of her and her eyes went wide in shock. It was a guy. The guy looks slightly familiar but the lights were too dim to even see who he is. Although even if the lights are a bit dim, she does admit, he does look pretty stunning on his simple white tux and simple styled hair.

"You know who I am?" Chae Mi asked. She was confused why someone would bother talking to her.

"Nope." The guy said with a sly smirk. Something felt fishy with his words, but Chae Mi set it aside.

"Well, you're rude as well." Chae Mi scoffed.

"No I'm not. I don't know who you are, but I know you're a senior. You have that eerie feel around you."

"I'm-"

"It's time for the annual bundle of leaves. Get a partner and start dancing." Ms. Lee, the chairperson announced.

The "Bundle of Leaves" is a part of the autumn ball where people randomly grab partners to dance with. It was a way to make new friends, according to the teachers. It kinda resembles the part in the autumn when you pick pretty leaves up randomly just to throw it again.

"Wanna dance?" The guy asked. Chae Mi can still sense the smirk on his lips.

"Certainly." Chae Mi replied.

"So this is your first time attending the autumn ball?" The guy asked, observing him carefully.

Chae Mi spun. "No, it's my first time attending a ball."

"I'm sorry but, do you live under a rock?" He chuckled, spinning her around once more.

"No, this type of events just doesn't flatter me. I believe it's a waste of time." She said, moving her feet. She was still wondering why that voice sounded so familiar, she wished that there were more lights in here to see better.

"What made Rapunzel come out to celebrate such an event?" The guy asked again. Chae Mi swears, his chuckles were deeper than a well.

"My best friend." Chae Mi answered. "She forced me."

"Ah... I guess best friends really do everything for each other." He stated, chuckling once again.

"Are we in some kind of interview? You kept asking about me." Chae Mi giggled.

"Well, one last question before I let you ask questions about me." The guy said, the chuckles never seem to stop. That one statement made Chae Mi felt keen. "It's funny how you've been narrating half of your life to me, I don't know what your name is."

"It's not half of my life, silly. I just answered your questions simply. And yeah, it's kinda idiotic that you forgot that. I'm-" As if irony happened, she felt something vibrate. Her phone!

"I- I got to go." She said, suddenly letting go. The guy looked at her in puzzlement.

He stepped back and felt a sudden force. Chae Mi felt like she was being pulled back, she looked down and she saw the guy stepping on her shoe laces. Sighing, she bent down before ripping it off, breaking into a run.

The guy sighed before picking up the laces of pink. "Am I that scary that even you ran away from me?" He scoffed as he played with the laces in his fingers. And as if irony, the moonlight caught his face—a dozen of girls squealed at the sight of Cha Eun Woo.

CHAPTER 1

"So, how did your first ball go?" Tzuyu asked in excitement as she held her best friend by her shoulders. She should really stop doing that.

"It went alright." Chae Mi didn't want to talk about her night with Mr. Mysterious. She had so many questions to ask. Who is he? Why did he even bother talking to her? The entire school knows that Im Chae Mi is a standoffish person. Why did her aunt have to call to ruin the moment?

"Hm..." Tzuyu said, as if she knew something. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. But Chou Tzuyu wouldn't smile for absolutely nothing...

Class A was noisy as usual. It is normal in a class to be noisy, especially during roll calls.

"Im Chae Mi?" The teacher called. Of course, since it was a roll call, no one would pay attention until theirs is near. "Im Chae Mi?" The teacher repeated again, a bit louder than the previous one.

"Eun Woo-ah? Do you know where your seatmate is?" Eun Woo immediately stopped playing with the laces and looked at the seat next to him. Why was he not surprised that it was vacant? Because Chae Mi usually skips a few classes from time to time.

He tried to resist a smile as he thought of the night before. "I had no idea..."

Chae Mi stopped dancing when she caught a glimpse of her in the mirror. In her perception, she looks like a zombie. No one would even think of her as the girl from the night before. Her hair was all over the place despite of being tied in a pony tail, her eyebags were getting darker, her skin was getting paler, and she wasn't getting any fatter. She looked really unhealthy.

She sighed before running a finger on her hair, still messy and a bit tangled. She ripped off the supporting band and her hair was messier than ever. She it a few times with her fingers, combing her hair. She tied it one again in a neat pony tail. At least she looks better. Not!

Despite of her appearance though, something else is on her mind. She wonders what's going on in the class now that she wasn't there to argue with Cha Eun Woo. That brat must be really grateful that she skipped class. She suddenly recalled something...

It all started at the beginning of school, when Ms Kwon, their homeroom and English teacher had assigned their seating arrangements. Cha Eun Woo and Im Chae Mi ended up as seatmates, much to the displeasure of Eun Woo—he was really looking forward to being seatmates with JinJin.

"Okay class, today we'll be studying about synonyms. Can you tell me what synonym means?"

Everyone was surprised when two hands shot up in the air—namely, Eun Woo's and Chae Mi's.

"Yes?" The teacher said, looking at Eun Woo.

"Synonyms is when two different words share the same meaning." Eun Woo stated.

"Excellent. Is there anything anyone wants to add?" Chae Mi slumped her shoulders in defeat, the most perfect answer for the question was already said by the guy next to her.

"Okay, since we all have backgrounds of synonyms, I want you guys to give me the synonym of the word I'm going to say. This will just be a game to warm up for the real lessons, alright?" The class replied in an eager yes, they like games.

"Exquisite?" The teacher said. A dozen of hands shot up in the air.

"Yes, Chae Mi?" The teacher said, pointing to Chae Mi.

"Beautiful." Chae Mi said.

"Excellently put." The teacher praised. "Anyone?" The dozen of hands was no more, one was left. Since 'beautiful' was a common adjective, no one really knows what to answer besides that. The teacher pointed at Eun Woo.

"Lovely."

"Elegant." Something in Chae Mi made her shot back.

"Fine." Eun Woo said, fixing a glare on the girl. It's quite amazing how words have loads of meanings, really.

"Excellent." Chae Mi said, smirking.

"Magnificent."

"Okay, okay. Sit down." Ms Kwon said, sensing the tension. "How about, enemy?" It was a bad choice of a word, as the two already stood up without the teacher's consent.

"Rival." Chae Mi said.

"Opponent." Eun Woo shot back.

"Foe."

"Antagonist."

"Archenemy." Eun Woo smirked.

"Cha Eun Woo." Chae Mi mumbled lowly, only loud enough for Eun Woo to hear. "Opposer." She said loudly.

The class watched back and forth as the two continued shooting each other answers. They were amused.

"Okay, that's enough." Ms Kwon said, silenting the class. "Okay, next word: love." It was a good choice, right?

Oh, but did the class turn into chaos.

"Fondness."

"Tenderness."

"Warmth."

"Intimacy."

And everyone concluded that Im Chae Mi and Cha Eun Woo were sworn enemies...

The retorts didn't stop in English class. They fight at every class, the one always thinking of that (s)he's more right than the other.

Meanwhile, Eun Woo was still playing with the pink laces on his fingers. He kept smiling, not entertaining any of his teacher's questions.

CHAPTER 2

"Eun Woo-ah!" A cheerful Jin Hae greeted. "Hi!" She said with so much enthusiasm. Eun Woo just nodded.

"You're looking for Jin Ri-ah, aren't you?" She said, pouting.

To be honest, Eun Woo doesn't like the two sisters—Kim Jin Hae and Kim Jin Ri. But if he was to choose who he likes best, he'll choose Jin Ri. She was just quiet and standoffish, which means less noise. Jin Hae was just too nosy and cheerful for his liking.

"Eun Woo-ah~" Someone cooed. He immediately spotted Jin Ri, who was looking at him in a stoic facade—which was quite the opposite of her voice. He had always wondered why there are people who has a trait that doesn't really suit them.

"Jin Ri-ssi. I need your help. I lost my yearbook, can you lend me yours?" Eun Woo asked. He was going to check something.

Jin Ri held one of her eyebrows up in a perfect arch, her mind curious why Eun Woo needs a yearbook. Before she can ask, however, Jin Hae had already chimed in.

"Hold on a second, Eun Woo!" Jin Hae said as she rummaged through her backpack. Books after books were sent to the floor, and Eun Woo could say that this is one of the most detested habits Jin Hae has. She's too careless and messy.

"Here." She said, handing him a blue book. "You can have mine. I'm not reading it anyways." Jin Hae said.

"Thanks, Jin Hae." Well, at least Jin Hae was faster than her sister.

Eun Woo found a secluded spot and hid there. He was in a corner of a dance room. He knew Fantagio High had loads of these rooms in store, but he was fascinated in this one. It was a bit dusty, true, but the mirrors were enough to catch the light of the beaming sunlight. Eun Woo settled in the corner near a door that he concluded was a storage area for props.

He opened the year book and saw the introduction and such. He skipped the toll and went to the seniors' section, and he immediately saw his section. He skipped the boys' part and went to the girls. After a couple of seconds, he landed on a name he finds compelling.

Im Chae Mi

He rolled his eyes at the countless achievements written below. He can't help but feel the competitivity pump in his blood. Oh please, he can do better than that. Just the mere sight of the girl made him rethink of his latest memory he had with her...

"Okay class, who's up for the activity?" The entire class didn't even blinked when two hands shot up towards the air.

"Yes, yes. Chae Mi and Eun Woo. Come forward please."

When the two came forward, the teacher handed them each a chalk.

"You'll be solving an equation today. This will just be a game, a test to ensure you've learned something in my class. The first one to finish and get it right wins. Now, don't take this too seriously..."

But the two didn't listen to the last sentence of the teacher as they glared at each other.

"Okay, begin!" The class looked in amusement as the two fought for a board, then later on started scribbling like their life depended on it.

"Finish!" They both screamed at the same time.

The two glared at each other as they began arguing again.

"Ssaem, I was first!" Chae Mi whined.

"No, you're not. I was, I was done when you were writing your answer!"

"No I wasn't, doofus! We screamed at the same time. Oh right, I screamed a second earlier."

"No you didn't."

"Ssaem!"

The teacher looked at the two model students in bewilderment at what seems like a childish fight.

It seems to him that Chae Mi and him were enemies at first glance. The moment they met, they already started fighting, even if class ended—the two are still on cold war. Eun Woo didn't know why, but he thinks the girl is far too arrogant than a toe rag.

Before he can give another glance at the page, he heard footsteps. In panic, he stood up and looked around. His eyes landed on the blue door of the storage area, and without hesitance, he opened it and stepped inside. He hid inside it.

The inside of the small room wasn't really scary, it was just a bit dark and dusty—but at least it was not full of equipment like their storage area. He heard the door creak and a sigh. He peeked through the only hole in the middle of the door, it was probably chipped by a mouse. This room looks like it was falling apart after all.

His eyes widened in shock as he saw a familiar figure. He looked at the page again. It was Im Chae Mi...

Chae Mi looked around before plugging in her old and (probably) crappy cellphone in the small speakers. She smiled as she heard music playing. Slowly, she looked at the mirror and studied her reflection.

She looked tired. Her aunt asked too many chores for her today, and she was glad she could finally dance. She skipped class, sure. She wasn't going to beat Eun Woo in her next class that would take place in three minutes, but who cares? It's not like beating Cha Eun Woo or going to class mattered as much as dancing. Well at least to her it doesn't.

She finally started to move and dance to the beat. She found it hard to dance without the pink laces. Those laces were like her lucky charm when dancing. She looked at herself in the mirror once again. Her hair was messier thanks to the twirls and the movements, but who cares? Not her!

She heard the bell ring. She smiled once again.

"I'm not late after all." Maybe she won't skip class. She can't resist the urge to see a losing Cha Eun Woo. She chuckled at the thought before taking her phone out of the speakers and going out of the room.

CHAPTER 3

Everyone was shocked that Eun Woo entered class three minutes late. Eun Woo had never been late before; everyone knows how he brags that he's always punctual unlike a certain someone. So it shocked them that that certain someone is sitting in class earlier than Eun Woo.

"You're late, Eun Woo." Ms. Min, their chemistry teacher, said in disappointment.

"I know, I'm sorry ssaem."

"Take a seat." The teacher said. "You're lucky that I haven't started class yet..."

Eun Woo nodded before going to the only vacant spot in the classroom, the seat next to Chae Mi. He sat down without mumbling a word.

The teacher taught them about matter, a lesson Eun Woo is good at since he used to be a representative in a science competition. What surprised the class was that the two didn't fight. Whenever Chae Mi answers, Eun Woo doesn't contradict her statements, which was shocking because it's usually how the arguments starts. Even Chae Mi was startled.

Whenever she answers, she keeps looking at Eun Woo, expecting him to retort or something. But that never came. Eun Woo was just staring at her like she's a puzzle or something. It's actually creeping her out that he doesn't speak until the teacher calls him.

"Okay class, we're going to end our class today with a quiz about matter. Get a paper and a pencil, and keep your notes away." Chae Mi grabbed her backpack and took out a paper.

"Where the heck is that pencil?" She mumbled to herself, rummaging her backpack. She can't seem to find her pencil anywhere.

She turned to look back at her paper lying on the desk, and to her surprise, there was a pencil there. Surely it wasn't her pencil. All her pencils were yellow—the pencil that lies on her desk was blue.

"Cha Eun Woo, your pencil rolled over my desk. Here." Chae Mi said, offering the pencil.

"You keep it. Just return it after class." Eun Woo said, not bothering to glance at her as he was fixing his backpack. Chae Mi looked and saw something pink.

"But-"

"Okay class, drop everything, we'll start the quiz." Everyone groaned as they slowed down on putting their books away. Chae Mi held the blue pencil in puzzlement, looking at its owner in a daze.

Ms Min finished writing the questions. The majority of the class glared at the board like it did something wrong. Chae Mi just wrote her answers on the paper properly. Weird or not, she's going to pass her paper first than Cha Eun Woo. It was always competition to them, who passes the paper first, who answers more etc.

"Chae Mi." Eun Woo said, making Chae Mi stop writing. She immediately concluded that he was done and was about to brag about his work.

She turned to look at his face and frowned. "What?" She mumbled lowly.

"Your answer in number eight and nine is wrong. Molecules and atoms are composed of matter. Liquid and glass are classifications of matter, you got it mixed up." He whispered lowly, only loud enough for her to hear.

She was about to retort and ask why is he helping her anyways when he stood up and approached Ms Min. Chae Mi frowned and looked at her paper again. With a sigh, she held the pencil upside down, erasing her answer.

"Alright class, I got the results here." Ms Min said, raising the bundle of papers up for the class to see. Almost everyone groaned in frustration, not looking forward to know their scores.

"You know the rules, the highest scorer will get an exemption for the next quiz. Now, let's see who's the highest." Everyone anticipated, hoping somehow that their name would be called.

"Cha Eun Woo." The teacher read, walking on Eun Woo's desk to give him his paper. Eun Woo gave out a small smile when he saw the red A+ on his paper. Chae Mi frowned, feeling cheated.

"Now I'll announce-" the teacher stopped when she took a glance at the paper. She suddenly flipped the papers once by one, as if checking something. "Very well." She said to no one in particular.

"It looks like we have a tie." The teacher said, making the class look confused. Just who can catch up with the science genius, Cha Eun Woo?

"Im Chae Mi." The teacher said, handing the paper to the girl next to Eun Woo. "Congratulations, you two would be exempted for the next quiz." The class didn't blink. Of course, if it isn't Cha Eun Woo, who else would it be than the standoffish Im Chae Mi?

The moment Ms Min went to the front to announce the other scores, Chae Mi never thought she'll say this to someone she despise.

"You shouldn't have told me that my answers are wrong, look where it got you." Chae Mi said, tilting her head slightly to see what had changed in him. She swears, his aura feels vaguely familiar. "But thank you..."

Eun Woo only smiled, playing with the pink laces underneath his table.

DISCLAIMER: This is for proofreading purposes only.

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