Chapter 4: Reactions

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Yuri stomped her way out. Indeed she was hurt on what she saw. Tears started to form around her eyes. As she passed by the kitchen, Ki Bum’s mom saw her, seeing her acting in this way; Mrs. Kim felt awful as well.

 

“Yuri dear, are you okay?”

 

 She sniffed before she raised her head. She wiped her eyes and say, “Ahjumma, as much as I wanted to say I’m okay, I cannot lie.”

 

“What happened?”

 

Yuri looked away again. “Ki Bum… Ki Bum… asks Ki Bum and that girl!” After the last sentence, she went outside running with her hands covering her eyes.

 

 Mrs. Kim got puzzled, she heard the scream earlier and now, it seems like Yuri is confirming everything to her.

 

She breathes in and out, in order to calm herself and wait for her son to come out and confess everything.

 

Mrs. Kim felt dizzy; she sat back on the chair with her hands touching her forehead. “Aigoo. Don’t tell me, my son had this girl pregnant? I’m a grandmother now? Aigoo! ”

 

*    *   *

 

“W-w-wait!!! What plan C??” Ae Sook asks with jittering feeling. Meeting them for the first time, she must show, that she posses a strong personality. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steel her nerves, but in the end she failed.

 

“I’ll fill the tub.” Jinki utter half shouting.

 

“Make sure, its lukewarm water.” Ki Bum responded. He was still looking at the petrified Ae Sook.

 

“I’ll prepare breakfast for you guys.”  Taemin shouted and run outside, leaving Jin Ho, Key and Ae Sook inside the room.

 

“W-what lukewarm water? A-and breakfast?”

 

“Just anticipate the main event, your royal filthy princess.” Ki Bum let out a wicked laugh again. She’s getting more irritated every second.

 

“What should I do?”

 

“Hmm…” Key rubs his chin with his thumb and seriously thinks. “Since Jin Ho is my cousin, and he’s living with us….” Ki Bum looked at him with wide eyes, Jin Ho grinned. It was like a secret code between the two cousins. “Prepare the, you know what.”

 

“Cool! I hope it would fit her…. Wait here, Ae Sook” He bid his little farewell to her and scamper towards their room. Ae Sook swallowed hard, she wipes her forehead, and there was sweat all over her face.

 

‘Could it be, this is my last day on earth? Are they going to give me a princess life afterwards they’re going to salvage and insert me inside a sack and just throw me on some river until creatures would eat me alive?’

 

 Silly question starts to run inside her, she can’t help but to think those thoughts, for her life was in danger. She was waiting for an answer, can this guy standing in front of her, can give the solutions to her? Or worst, could he be the reason of her death?

 

‘No! No! No! I must not be defeated! I must show him that I’m not scared as hell; I must show him that they messed up with the wrong chick!’ She told her herself over and over again, to gain some self confidence. She didn’t realize she was shaking her head left to right, nonstop.

 

“Eh? What are you doing? Hmm…. Let me guess, you’re assuming things that is beyond unthinkable?”

 

Ae Sook look down, her face were covered with the strands of her hair. She didn’t reply, she kept close, preventing herself to cry. “I-I-I don’t want to die.” She said sadly. On the other hand, Key could die any minute now, for the reason that he was over delight, on Ae Sook’s last sentence. He can’t believe that this Ae Sook girl thinks that they would kill her. He cleared his throat, to become serious. Still, there was a smile on his face.

 

“I’m sorry, but this has to be done.” He utter in a cold manner. Ae Sook  immediately raised her head, as she felt Ki Bum held her two hands and wrap it around his neck. He slid his left hand on her back and held her right shoulder and squeezes it; whilst his right hand behind her knees. Making sure her grip was tight, he touch her hands once more. For a second or two, her heartbeat starts to increase rapidly. He stood up and carried her like her weight doesn’t matter, afterwards he started to walk. 

 

During their walk, Ae Sook stared at him for a quite long time. She sighed and thinks, he’s the last guy that I would see in this world—too bad its the jerk. The worst is, harabeoji. (grandpa) and I haven’t reconciled yet, maybe it’s really a bad decision for me to go here. First day, spell it, misfortune already happened.

 

“Why are you starring at me like that? Don’t tell me, you’re also falling for my charms?” he snorted and smile. Ae Sook wanted to barf as she heard him say that, she just rolled her eyes and started to flop her feet.

 

“Eww… what the hell are you talking about? Fall for you? So vain.”

 

“Then why are you looking at me like that? No, basically it’s a stare, because you never took off your gaze at me.”

 

“Ugh…. Will you just put me down?”

 

“No can do Princess.”

 

 “Then will you stop calling me princess?! Cause I have my own name. It’s Ae Sook. Not Princess. AE- SO-OK!”

 

“Do you even know what does Ae Sook mean? Actually it doesn’t suit you. You’re so cheeky. This is our first meeting, yet you’re showing the evil side of you.” He scowl and whisper, “Tenshi na Konamaiki (Cheeky angel)” Key kicks the door of their only bathroom and walks closer to the tub. Meanwhile, Ae Sook was getting more pissed off, she wanted to get out of his arms, yet Key’s grasp is getting rigid.

 

“What did you say?! Will you just put me down?!” She was more furious.

 

“Okay.” He abruptly release Ae Sook, she almost got drowned by the pressure of water. The antagonist, Kim Ki Bum kept on laughing, he was holding his tummy. Ae Sook rose up; she spit some water and coughs. She wipes her face from forehead down to her chin irritated. “Oh god, if you have seen your face. That’s….”  He covered his mouth, still laughing. “Funny. Your expression is so hilarious. I’ll give you ten! Ha-ha-ha!”

 

“So this is the plan C? To get me clean?” she asks with the tone of sarcasm. He just nods. “What if I get drown? What will you do?! Will you be responsible for my dear life?!”

 

“I’ll give you mouth to mouth resuscitation.”

 

“Eww… That is so gross…” She rolled her eyes and laughed a little. He just smiled. Key sat down, he cross his arms and placed it at the top of the edge of the tub. They were looking at each other, blankly. Both of them were still smiling at one another, she broke off the silence and said, “You know what, you’re so strange.”

 

“Why?” he asks, afterwards he let out a light chortle.

 

“Earlier…” She stop and look upward as she saw the sky outside the window, on the upper most part of the wall. It was blue—plain blue, the dark and heavy clouds last night were gone astray. She looks back at him and speak, “You were so mad at me for… seriously… unknown reason, I bet neither of us don’t know how did I land here.”

 

“Did I scare you?”

 

“Right now… you’re freaking me out.”

 

He laugh breathlessly, this girl is interesting, he thought. For the second time he asked again, “why?”

 

“Just like what I’ve said, earlier you were such a jerk; there wasn’t a hint of glee on your face, you’re so mad. Now, you’re so happy. Your smiling like there’s no tomorrow.”

 

“Cause I enjoy your company.”

 

“Liar.” She said and looked away. Slowly she submerged herself on the warm water. “hey… I have a question.”

 

“Hmmm? What’s that?”

 

“Actually, it’s not a question. About you and your girlfriend….”

 

“She’s not my girlfriend.” He immediately hissed, quite furious.

 

“Ah… Okay… if not… uhm… the girl earlier…”

 

“Her name is Yuri.” He said, with a livid tone again. Why does all of the people thinks that I am Yuri’s boyfriend?

 

“Okay… about you and Yuri… if she mistakenly thinks that… we…. Ugh… we have done it… would you mind explaining it to her, for me?”

 

“You don’t need to say it, because I really HAVE to explain it to her.”

 

“Oh… I see….. So do you like her?” He glared at her, Ae Sook playfully zip . “Okay. I crossed the line. I didn’t mean it. I got over attach with the story.”

 

Key didn’t respond at all.

 

Five seconds

 

Ten seconds

 

Twenty seconds

 

Silence was deafening. Awkward moments are getting more superior. She spoke, “Isn’t it weird? I don’t want to be rude, but for the short spam of our lives I notice lots of things about you, earlier you’re acting like a lunatic person, in addition to that, you’re so obsess about yourself. Don’t you feel any shame? Or aren’t you embarrassed about saying that to every person you see?”

 

“Nope. Not in a million.” His gazed weren’t focus on her eyes anymore. He was looking at something and he seems idle.

 

She smirks. Gad, what a bizarre guy. He thinks he’s hottest guy on this planet. Ew.  Not my type. “Hey, I have a question? What does my name means?” Ae Sook look at him with those puppy eyes. She has the aura of enthusiasm.  “You said it earlier, that my name has its own meaning. And. And. And. What does Tenshi na Konamaiki means? It may sound---”

 

She halt from being the noisy Ae Sook. She followed his gape only to find out that her brassiere were penetrated by the water and he—Kim Ki Bum was looking at it. It annoyed her, she splash some water directly to his face. He was astounded. It seemed like he was awaken from a slumber, his expression was priceless.

 

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” he immediately wipes his face, and look at her. Her eyebrows were wrinkly again. 

 

“EEEEEEEEERRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

*    *   *

 

Key closed the door behind him; he wiped his face with a hand towel. As his eyes went to search for people around their house, he saw his friends and cousin kneeling down in front of his mom and their two hands rose upward. He headed towards their direction and bit the apple he found on the table.

 

“Umma! What’s wrong?”

 

“Ki Bum, tell me… Who’s that girl on your room?” His mom started, calmly.

 

Instantly he slid up next to Jin Ho, he kneeled beside him and raises his hand upward. “Umma! I swear, I really don’t know her! I know, sometimes I would lie… but… but… this time, I really swear I am honest, I am not lying! I really don’t know her!”

 

Mrs. Kim huffed, even though Key is like that, of course she would believe him, for he is the only child they have.

 

“Ahjumma…” Jin Ho’s voice pleaded. He walks over to her and pleaded more. “It’s not Key’s fault it is mine, let me tell you the whole story… La---“

 

Jin Ho got distracted as he saw Minho’s shoulder shrugs. He was laughing as he saw Ae Sook standing on the living room, near the dining table. The shirt that Jin Ho gave her was mere large for her, it exceeds her elbow level. “Yo, my man, where’s your bling bling?”

 

“Very funny.” She answered acerbically. She walks closer to them. Key wasn’t moving from where he is Kneeling. He was so embarrassed on earlier account. 

 

Ae Sook bowed in front of Mrs. Kim, she smiled sheepishly. “Good morning Madam, my name is Lee Ae Sook. I would like to apologize for intruding your place.”

 

She waited for his mom to raised a voice, to tell her what she did was something egregious.  Instead his mom hugged her very tight.