red camellia; /rɛd kəˈmiːlɪə,kəˈmɛlɪə/; hidden desires

“some desire is necessary”

A gentle breeze blew by, rustling the leaves. The blistering sun shone effortlessly as it hung on the clear blue sky with fluffy white cumulous clouds drifting ever so slowly.

It was a new week which also meant another confrontation again on a Thursday, more specifically for the flower arrangement club’s president Lee Mi Joo. Despite having said her piece for the umpteenth times, the dance club still had their music at max.

Unlike the president, the vice-president and the treasurer were not that bothered by the bellowing volume anymore. It sounded more like music to their ears instead of a hindrance. It was quite catchy actually with the upbeat melody. Even Su Jeong started doing some basic beatboxing to the addictive sound.

Having been the only one who was using the cute earplugs Su Jeong bought, Mi Joo stared at her junior who quickly stopped her impromptu show.

“Aw, why did you stop?”

“Mi Joo unnie had a scary face.”

“She always has one though.”

“Kim Kei.”

“Yes?”

Mi Joo grimaced at the sight of Kei’s innocent expression, given up on what she wanted to say. She had better things to fight for and this was it.

“You two continue what you’re doing while I’m heading there.”

“It’s not that bad. It adds some spice to the club now that I’ve think of it.”

“An awful one you mean.”

“Ah, now that Kei unnie mentions it, I want some spicy ramen now.”

“Ooh, Su Jeong. Good call. Mi Joo, while you’re at it, can you also buy some cup noodles as well?”

Clearly, the two girls set their priorities right, having no intentions to talk Mi Joo out of it in the first place. She was a very stubborn person. It was pointless even if they tried persuading her. They would rather make use of this opportunity to get what they wanted – a nice cup of hot spicy ramen.

No speech was required when it came to this battle because no matter what Mi Joo said, her points would always be rebutted. The only way to win this was to knock some sense into him, figuratively and also literally if she could. It was a shame that a friendly beating would cause her a big trouble in the school.

Like any other Thursdays, she knocked on the main door of the dance studio furiously. The music would stop in an instant and once the door was opened, she had her biggest smile on her face.

“May I help you?”

And with that, Mi Joo immediately dropped her smile and began speaking. It was a routine by now.

“You’re a .”

“Cutting straight to the point, eh?”

“You’re disturbing us. Why can’t you be decent at least once in your whole lifetime? Is it that hard? Didn’t your parents teach you about having basic manners?”

“I’m afraid not. Oops, sorry.”

How Mi Joo wanted to rub the mocking look off on Mark Tuan’s face.

“Oh, is that so? Guess I’m left with no choice. See you at the office.”

“Are you sure you want to report it to the in-charge? I’ve heard from somewhere that you’re applying for a scholarship in college. You’re willing to miss your chance at it by proving at how incompetent you are, huh?”

“Not sure what you meant but I assume you said that you’re the incompetent one? Something we can agree on, finally.”

“This calls for a celebration, don’t you think? Have any suggestions?”

“How about you lowering that music of yours? It’ll be a perfect one.”

“Mm, I beg to differ. How about this instead?”

“Hey! Let go!”

Mark held her wrist and dragged her into the dance studio without warning. His grip was not leaving even after her countless protests. Even so, it was soft and gentle as if afraid he would hurt her. The touch caused her to feel a weird tingling sensation and it was scaring her. She forcefully untangled herself away from him, questioning his motives next.

“What are you doing?”

“Instead of wasting time doing whatever we’re doing, watched us practice. I’d prefer if it’s me though.”

“And why should I? If you think that I’ve got nothing better to do, you’re wrong. My members need me.”