Chapter 3: Ae Sook

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"Ahjumma!!!" Taemin greeted with a happy smile -- as usual. Mrs. Kim, Key's mother was delighted enough to see these boys bisiting them early this morning.

"Hi boys, do you have a practice today?" She asks. She signaled them to sit and have some breakfast. And the boys, complied. Jonghyun, who is very much ease at Key's house, started to eat the foods which are prepared in front of him.  “I think my Ki Bum is still sleeping… and Jin Ho as well.”

“Nope. We don’t have one, maybe on weekend. We just came here to visit you.” Onew said as he pressed his lips together with a smile.

“Aww. You’re boys are so adorable.” She said in total fascination. She started Minho’s hair. “Just eat anything you want. Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Ahjumma!!!!” Yuri came in dashing inside. She smiled and bowed as she saw Key’s band mate. “Is Key or Jin Ho awake? I have something to get from them.”

“Well… I think, they’re both sle---”

“Ahhhhhhh!!!!” Two voices shrill around their apartment. His mom and friends got terrified. It was Key’s voice. Jin Ho got woken up. At a snail pace, he went to the kitchen where everybody is located.

Lee Taemin choked with his milk and asks, “Hyung! Did you hear it? Or am I just imagining things?”

“What do you mean by IT? That some girl’s screech harmonizes when Key howled?” Onew ask, after he swallowed the omelet. He was playing with his chopsticks, not looking at her but he was pointing it to Yuri. There was anxious written on her façade.

“Ugh… yes? I also heard it?” Jin Ho gave in, withholding his agenda of no talking.

“Maybe it’s the television?” Yuri said. The four boys nod in agreement. Except for Jin Ho, something was bothering him. It’s very vague on his mind, for he cannot remember it.

There was silence. Though everybody confess that it’s just an illusion, everyone was still curious, particularly Yuri. Definitely, it still does sting the fresh memory of being rejected face to face. Suddenly, they heard a strident thud, which seems like somebody fell on the floor. What scared them most, was when they heard a girl screaming angrily, saying, “Who are you??! What did you do to me?!”

“Uh-oh…. not an illusion” Onew utter, syllabically.

That alarms them all. They quickly stood up, leaving their food behind and dash towards his room.

“Oh my.” Mrs. Kim gasps. Yuri and Taemin had to calm her down. At the back of their minds, they were thinking of the same thing – Key had brought a girl on their home.

“Ahjumma, stay here for a while. We will go check it out. Surprises aren’t good for you, so please listen to us for the mean time.”

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Out of hysteria, the girl wearing a white dress with stain all over her clothes, with the length above her knees, kicks Key, who land his on the floor and shouts, “Who are you??! What did you do to me?!”

“Eh?!” He screeched and paused for a while to take a deep breath and continued, “This is my room! Our house! Who are you?! What are you doing to me?! Trying to me?! Huh! Another fan girl I guess.” He retorted back, livid as the same rate as hers.

Her furious aura made her realize something; indeed the bed she was sitting to, the room that her eyes were roaming around wasn’t her. ‘What am I doing here? Where is this place?’ She asked herself, it was her first time to see this spot. She was never been this embarrassed. She saw him smirking, leaning against the wall, shaking his head and whispered, “Is it my fault, that I’m this hot?”

She heard his buzz, she wanted to protest, yet she cannot do it, instead she glared at him and say with full of confidence, “what you? You were the one clinging on my body, kissing me on my head, almost ravishing me! Which is so… ugh!!” She was so irritated that she started to punch the pillows around her.

This time, he felt discomfited. He cannot reclaim what she said, for he himself, know that it was the truth. That he really did it. He tried to stand up, yet he failed. He can’t look straight to her eyes, “I-I-I didn’t mean to k-kiss a-and h-h-hug y-y-o---”

The door slams loudly against the door. Yuri was standing in front of Key’s friends. She was dumbfounded on what she had heard and picture in front of her. A girl sitting on his a bed, with a messy hair and almost rugged dress with mud stain from last night’s heavy downfall; she cannot help herself but to get curious at the same time, jealous.

“Eh?! Ae?!” Jin Ho cried out. Everybody’s eyes were directly shot at him.

The girl whom he called, Ae looked at him, with brow arched and head tilted on the right, questioned, “Jin Ho?”

“Yes! Yes!” He nodded vigorously.

Ki Bum looked down, shook his head and muttered, “Not good! This is bad! Bad!” One time after the other. He stood up and walks closer to Jin Ho, he placed his hands on his shoulders and said with poker face, “Dude… I-I-I-I’m innocent. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to kiss and…” He stopped as he heard Minho and Onew gasp and cover their mouths dramatically. “… and hug your girlfriend. I didn’t even know that she was your girlfriend. If I only knew she was your girl, then…” he paused for the second time. He shrugs and gazed towards Yuri, who wasn’t looking at him. He had this urge to explain everything to her, but a part of him, is contradicting his desire. “I won’t do that to her…wait… even though, I knew she was your girlfriend, I can’t help myself, because my mind is less active because I’m asleep when that happen. So, I hope this wont crossed the boundary of our friendship and of our being cousins. I’m really sorry… Let’s just say, this incident are one of those we called HAPPENS.”

Ki Bum was waiting for a hard thump to his face. Instead, Jin Hojust burst into a loud cackle. “She… she’s not my girlfriend…. I personally don’t even know her.”

Everybody got alarmed. They all clustered near the door. “T-t-then, who is she? How c-c-come you guys know each other’s name?” Jonghyun asked, stuttering some words. Their heartbeats were unbelievably beating wobbly.

“Maybe she’s one of those agents who pose as a regular teenage girl.” Taemin whispered very inaudibly on the back. Yuri gave him a confused look.

“Eh?! Eh! Eh!” Key shouted again. He walks closer to Ae, and stared at her widely enough to know that he was confused and irritated, his forehead were pressing against her. He continued, “Then if she’s not your girlfriend. And you guys don’t know her, how come she’s in my room??!!!”

That rage her, “why are you shouting??!!! You can say in a calm manner!! So do I, I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing here!” they were throwing death glares to each other. If only those gazes were as sharp as knife, one of the, might be dead by now.

“I have the right to do anything I want! This is our house! My room! My bed!”

“Is it my fault that I woke up here, when I don’t even know you, and…. and this place????!!”

He back off a little. He inhales deeply and exhales loudly. “It’s your fault because you’re st---”

“Key, please stop!” Yuri said, loudly enough for all of them to hear. He did as what he was told. “There’s no point on shouting at her, if she, herself, doesn’t even know the answer too. So please stop before you could say anything harsh that you might regret.” She was calm, but every word was said in a rough manner.

There was a devilish smile from Ae, for she thought that she won Yuri’s fondness. Yuri faced her and says, “Miss, please pardon, Ki Bum. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. I hope you’ll excuse his mouth.” Ae just looked at them innocently.

“Yuriiiii!!!” Key scratch his head, stomp his feet on the floor and acted liked a kid. “Why are you taking her side?? Shouldn’t it be YOU’RE on my team?”

Yuri bit her lower lip. Mianhe , Key. She thought sadly. She’s not prepared to have a straight eye contact with him. It was an awkward moment for the three of them—him, Yuri and the new girl, Ae. Key just smirk.

“Yes! Okay…. the tensions seem a little less, compare earlier.”Jonghyun spoke as he rubs his hands together. “Why don’t we come outside and ea---”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” Yuri face Jin, follow her stare at Jin Ho. “I already get what I want. Jin Ho, I’ll just return this later or tomorrow.” She pats Taemin’s back, and said, “Bye guys. See you later. Hope you guys enjoy your day.” She looked at Key and Ae with a happy smile and excuses herself outside.

“Yu---” Key called her name with a low voice, except she vanished before his sight. Ae heard it. She felt there’s something between Key and Yuri, the way he spoke her name with agony. She didn’t say anything, for she knows she doesn’t have the rights. She heard him heave a heavy sigh. Then she realized she was alone with 6 guys. Ki Bum turn around at her and yelled, “who the hell are you anyway??! Did you see the trouble that you caused??! Are you happy now??!!”

“Hey.” Jin Ho held Key’s shoulders in order to calm him done. “Why don’t we eat first and settle this afterwards? Right?”

“Yeah . That’s right! I totally agree with you.” Minho nod heartily and stop, he faced Ae with questioning look. “Would you mind introducing yourself first? Where did you come from? How did you get here? And etc….”

“Wait! Let us introduce our self first; I bet she’s confused with what’s happening today. My name is Onew, Lee Jinki. This is Choi Minho. Lee Taemin, Kim Jonghyun.” He stop, he loops his arms around Jin Ho, “and I’m pretty sure you already know our Jin Ho, he is Key’s cousin.” Ae shrugs; it was her answer to his question. Key cleared his throat. “And that guy….who’s noticeably acting on the other side” He pause again, “his name is Kim Ki Bum or Key.” He moved closer to her. She just make a loathe face expression after hearing his name.

“Finally. Thank you for asking that, it’s very rare for people to call me Ae, but my name is Ae Sook.”

“I thought your name is filthy princess.” Ae Sook glared at Key who was standing in front of her, and made a evil half smile.

“I second the motion!”Jonghyun raised his hands. Onew and Jin Ho nodded.

Ae Sook frowns and said “What filth---” her gaze looked down on her clothes and it was assured that the title, ‘filthy princess’ was meant for her.

“Should we proceed with plan C?” Key ask over, the five boys nodded in unison. Five guys were walking closer to her, with a wicked smile.

“W-w-wait!!! What plan C??”