44
Miss. Trouble
Leerang woke up in the early evening, even more depressed than she’d been a couple of hours ago. It was still two and a half hour left of her birthday and she laid there, waiting for the day to be over. Leerang’s stomach though, announced pretty soon that it was hungry and in need of food, something which caused the girl to slip out of bed and head into the kitchen. Unfortunately was the fridge empty, as well as the cupboards. It showed that her dad hadn’t been home for quite some time, and it gave Leerang no choice, she would have to go out and get something to eat. The supermarket down the hill was her destination as she got dressed and headed outside.
The said supermarket was close to empty and the only thing that could be heard was the latest Korean pop music. In difference from normally was the old ahjumma not present, instead did a young girl stand behind the cashier, one who also greeted Leerang, “annyeonghaseyo.” the girl bowed her head, as if to clarify she heard it. A problem surfaced quite immediately however, as she let her gaze wander between the food displayed. None of it interested her and she had a hard trouble choosing what to buy, even more so since she craved sugar. A delicious cake with whipped cream and strawberries sounded more appetizing than a package of ramyeon. But then there was this other problem, the only café nearby were the one Kris’ mother owned, and to take the risk of possibly meeting him was one she had doubts about. Leerang came to a conclusion rather soon though, “screw it, I need cake.” she was not going to let that happiness slip away, not even Lay’s statement would make her hesitate. Not when it came to her precious cakes.
"Oh, Leerang ah." Kris' mother was overwhelmed as she hadn't expected for the girl to show up, especially not as they were just about to close, "are you okay? Do you need help?" the woman were slightly worried that someone had been bothering Leerang again. "You don't have to worry about me. I actually came because I wanted cake." a birthday wouldn't be complete without a mouthwatering treat she could sink her teeth into. Therefore did she let her gaze wander over to where the cakes were displayed. There weren't a lot of them left, but the girl knew immediately which she wanted.
"Can I have that one." Leerang pointed at a cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit, to which Kris' mother smiled, "good choice." she needed a bit of variety after all the chocolate cakes and desserts she'd eaten the past months, and this was a great opportunity to choose something different. “You can take a seat whilst I wrap it up.” said and done, Leerang moved over and sat down, only to a second later reach for her cell phone. The device was still shut off and she was hesitant of what to do, even more as the girl had no desire to talk with her mother. It was understandable though, because of what’d happened and all. To leave your daughter and let her celebrate her birthday alone were bound to spark some anger and disappointment, “stupid.” she muttered the word as she absentmindedly put the phone down on the table in front.
Leerang’s thoughts were briskly interrupted and she hurried to stand up as Kris’ mother called for her attention. “That’ll be fifteen thousand won.” she headed over and was right about to pay when Kris appeared from behind the curtain, “mom is it -.” the male cut himself short upon noticing Leerang, and an overwhelming feeling erupted within her as their eyes locked. A girly pin in his hair distracted the girl and she had to avert her gaze in order to not laugh. But why was he wearing such a thing? The brief moment ended once Leerang remembered that she still needed to pay for the cake, something the girl took care of all the whilst Kris remained. He was slightly confused to why she was there, as most of the high schools in Seoul began their second semester the coming day. However, what Leerang did in her spare time was none of his concern.
The girl heaved a deep sigh the moment she’d stepped outside and the door closed shut behind her. “Why are you behaving like this?” she glanced down at the place where her heart was, as if asking why it was beating so frantically. “You can’t behave like that in front of him. He’s the wrong person, okay.” the girl was having a mental talk with her heart and how it couldn’t be so excited when around Kris. It was only okay when Lay were present.
Looking ahead she caught sight of the playground, the place was far better to celebrate her birthday at than being all alone at her father’s house. But it wasn’t without feeling slightly uneasy that she advanced forward and settled herself down on a bench, and with her feet on each side of the seat and her back against the road did she unwrap the cake box. “At least I got a whole cake all to myself.” a small smile spread on Leerang’s lips despite the fact that no one was there to celebrate together with her. But to call anyone at such a time was rather inconsiderate and would most definitely cause trouble, especially if she called Jungah, as the other girl were probably getting ready to begin school the coming day. Lay though, was one she didn’t even wanted to see. In fact, the only person Leerang could consider to call were none other than Chanyeol, but decided against better judgment to not contact him, as it was late and would take the male over half an hour to get there.
So, instead of doing something stupid did she, in a very low voice, begin to sing the happy birthday song. The thought of anyone hearing her wasn’t something that crossed Leerang’s mind, not until a certain blonde-haired boy placed himself down right in front of her, the cake being the only thing between them. Taken aback she stopped singing and blinked up at him, noticeably flustered that he’d heard her terrible singing. “You shouldn’t be here at this hour.” Kris gave the younger girl a sideway glance and saw how her cheeks sported a faint pink color. “I know.” embarrassed Leerang averted her gaze so that she was staring at the cake, “why are you here then?” the reasons were bothersome to think about, but nonetheless the gruesome reality, “because I don’t want to celebrate my birthday in an empty house all alone.” she knew she’d said too much when hearing Kris sigh. “I guess it can’t be helped.”
There had been a moment of total silence and Leerang raised her head to look at him, but glanced elsewhere once she took notice how he’d been staring at her. The action though, caused her heart to beat faster and her eyes flew open when Kris spoke, “close your eyes.” almost immediately did she shake her head, as the incident when Chanyeol kissed her were still fresh in mind, “I won’t do anything.” his statement should’ve eased her nervousness, but it didn’t. “Just do it, please.” the last word had her heart and mind going crazy. She could barely believe it. That Kris, someone who’d practically despised the girl and given her a hard time, were now saying please.
“Fine, okay.” Leerang gulped down and it was not without feeling a bit hesitant that she let her eyelids flutter close. To not be able to see what he was doing were incredibly nerve wracking and the girl tensed more and more as the seconds passed by. “Kris?” his name slipped from her lips right before she felt something brush against her hair, and that was followed by a low click, a sound which caused her eyes to fly wide open. He’d moved closer and was now seated just a mere meter away, his arms outstretched towards her, and out of pure instinct did she extend her hand to search for the object he’d placed in her hair. “It’s just the hairpin.” Leerang glanced at the older male, curious, “why are you giving it to me?”
“Isn’t it your birthday?” yeah, but still, “it’s okay though, I don’t need any gifts.” she was right about to remove and hand the pin back to him when Kris, all of a sudden, grasped onto hers hands, thus making it impossible for the girl to reach the hairpin. “I’m not that poor, I can actually afford to give away birthday gifts, too. Besides, it fits you.” Leerang felt her heart palpitate faster and faster after hearing the last sentence, and she was almost disappointed when Kris let go of her hands. “I -ehm, thank you.” it was embarrassing, not only because she was blushing, but also due to the fact that he kept on staring at her. “Aren’t you going to eat?” the cake had practically been all forgotten ever since he showed up, and Leerang couldn't help but to feel a tad bothered, especially after everything Lay had said. His words shouldn't have troubled her so much, but it did and the girl felt uneasy whilst she reached for one of the two plastic forks that'd followed with the cakebox.
A smile spread on her lips as the creamy white cake topped with fresh fruit melted on her tongue. The taste were magnificent and Leerang had to restrain herself from devouring it all as she didn't want to look like a pig. "Did you come here to watch me eat?" Kris shook his head, such a ridiculous thing was not the reason to why he’d showed up. "You are forgetful, that's why." he reached into his pocket to retrieve the cell phone she'd forgotten on the table. "Oh, my phone." Leerang was taken aback, she hadn't even noticed that it was gone. "You should be more careful." hearing him speak with such worry confused the said girl, "it's just a phone, I can buy a new one." it would've been a lot worse if she lost her credit card or something of equal importance. "You can't treasure the true value of things with such a mindset." Kris wasn't exactly surprised by her statement, but it didn't mean he had the same outlook on things. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a spoiled kid," he was right, one couldn't appreciate the true value of things with a mindset like that, "but a phone is the least of my concern after everything that people have stolen from me." she’d gotten her credit card stolen several times in middle school and high school, and it was always a hassle to tell her mother about what’d happened.
"Hm, maybe I should keep this then." Kris smirked and Leerang reacted without thought as she lunged forward, the only problem was the cake, one the girl accidentally planted her hands into before she smeared whipped cream all over Kris' clothes. It hadn't been on purpose though, and her face sported an apologetic look as she pulled back, "I'm sorry I nev -." Leerang was cut short and her eyes widened when the older male painted her cheek with the white, fluffy substance. "Revenge is sweet." the smile which spread on his lips were so astonishing that Leerang found herself in shock. She'd never seen him smile, something the girl found considerably weird as he looked so handsome when doing so. "You're smiling." she regretted ever saying anything the second he pressed his lips together, and it was with a pout Leerang spoke, “don’t do that.” the girl reached over and pulled at his cheeks, a shameless action. But it was not until Kris grasped onto her hands that she noticed how wrong it actually were. "You've become quite a skinship monster." the girl's cheek flushed a deep shade of red, and she looked at their hands as Kris tightened the grip he had around her wrists, "I don't mind though." Leerang's heart skipped a beat and she glanced up just in time to catch his intense gaze, one which caused her heartbeat to increase even more.
The moment however, was interrupted as a male voice exclaimed, "Kris." both of them watched as not only one, but all of his friends showed up. “Hyung?” they gaped at the scene displayed, with cake, whipped cream and fruit smeared across clothes, skin and the bench Kris and Leerang was seated on. “Looks like you’ve been having fun.” the girl wanted to sink through the ground and vanish as the whole situation was embarrassing. It was already bad having to walk home drenched in cake, "I -I should go." she managed to slip away, and the male stared after Leerang as she headed off. It'd happened so fast that Kris hadn't been able to give her the cell phone back.
"Oh god, what have I done?" the girl had a hard time understanding how careless and straightforward she could be around Kris. But such thoughts didn't hinder the fact that Leerang was happy, because her birthday ended up quite okay after all.
The said supermarket was close to empty and the only thing that could be heard was the latest Korean pop music. In difference from normally was the old ahjumma not present, instead did a young girl stand behind the cashier, one who also greeted Leerang, “annyeonghaseyo.” the girl bowed her head, as if to clarify she heard it. A problem surfaced quite immediately however, as she let her gaze wander between the food displayed. None of it interested her and she had a hard trouble choosing what to buy, even more so since she craved sugar. A delicious cake with whipped cream and strawberries sounded more appetizing than a package of ramyeon. But then there was this other problem, the only café nearby were the one Kris’ mother owned, and to take the risk of possibly meeting him was one she had doubts about. Leerang came to a conclusion rather soon though, “screw it, I need cake.” she was not going to let that happiness slip away, not even Lay’s statement would make her hesitate. Not when it came to her precious cakes.
"Oh, Leerang ah." Kris' mother was overwhelmed as she hadn't expected for the girl to show up, especially not as they were just about to close, "are you okay? Do you need help?" the woman were slightly worried that someone had been bothering Leerang again. "You don't have to worry about me. I actually came because I wanted cake." a birthday wouldn't be complete without a mouthwatering treat she could sink her teeth into. Therefore did she let her gaze wander over to where the cakes were displayed. There weren't a lot of them left, but the girl knew immediately which she wanted.
"Can I have that one." Leerang pointed at a cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit, to which Kris' mother smiled, "good choice." she needed a bit of variety after all the chocolate cakes and desserts she'd eaten the past months, and this was a great opportunity to choose something different. “You can take a seat whilst I wrap it up.” said and done, Leerang moved over and sat down, only to a second later reach for her cell phone. The device was still shut off and she was hesitant of what to do, even more as the girl had no desire to talk with her mother. It was understandable though, because of what’d happened and all. To leave your daughter and let her celebrate her birthday alone were bound to spark some anger and disappointment, “stupid.” she muttered the word as she absentmindedly put the phone down on the table in front.
Leerang’s thoughts were briskly interrupted and she hurried to stand up as Kris’ mother called for her attention. “That’ll be fifteen thousand won.” she headed over and was right about to pay when Kris appeared from behind the curtain, “mom is it -.” the male cut himself short upon noticing Leerang, and an overwhelming feeling erupted within her as their eyes locked. A girly pin in his hair distracted the girl and she had to avert her gaze in order to not laugh. But why was he wearing such a thing? The brief moment ended once Leerang remembered that she still needed to pay for the cake, something the girl took care of all the whilst Kris remained. He was slightly confused to why she was there, as most of the high schools in Seoul began their second semester the coming day. However, what Leerang did in her spare time was none of his concern.
The girl heaved a deep sigh the moment she’d stepped outside and the door closed shut behind her. “Why are you behaving like this?” she glanced down at the place where her heart was, as if asking why it was beating so frantically. “You can’t behave like that in front of him. He’s the wrong person, okay.” the girl was having a mental talk with her heart and how it couldn’t be so excited when around Kris. It was only okay when Lay were present.
Looking ahead she caught sight of the playground, the place was far better to celebrate her birthday at than being all alone at her father’s house. But it wasn’t without feeling slightly uneasy that she advanced forward and settled herself down on a bench, and with her feet on each side of the seat and her back against the road did she unwrap the cake box. “At least I got a whole cake all to myself.” a small smile spread on Leerang’s lips despite the fact that no one was there to celebrate together with her. But to call anyone at such a time was rather inconsiderate and would most definitely cause trouble, especially if she called Jungah, as the other girl were probably getting ready to begin school the coming day. Lay though, was one she didn’t even wanted to see. In fact, the only person Leerang could consider to call were none other than Chanyeol, but decided against better judgment to not contact him, as it was late and would take the male over half an hour to get there.
So, instead of doing something stupid did she, in a very low voice, begin to sing the happy birthday song. The thought of anyone hearing her wasn’t something that crossed Leerang’s mind, not until a certain blonde-haired boy placed himself down right in front of her, the cake being the only thing between them. Taken aback she stopped singing and blinked up at him, noticeably flustered that he’d heard her terrible singing. “You shouldn’t be here at this hour.” Kris gave the younger girl a sideway glance and saw how her cheeks sported a faint pink color. “I know.” embarrassed Leerang averted her gaze so that she was staring at the cake, “why are you here then?” the reasons were bothersome to think about, but nonetheless the gruesome reality, “because I don’t want to celebrate my birthday in an empty house all alone.” she knew she’d said too much when hearing Kris sigh. “I guess it can’t be helped.”
There had been a moment of total silence and Leerang raised her head to look at him, but glanced elsewhere once she took notice how he’d been staring at her. The action though, caused her heart to beat faster and her eyes flew open when Kris spoke, “close your eyes.” almost immediately did she shake her head, as the incident when Chanyeol kissed her were still fresh in mind, “I won’t do anything.” his statement should’ve eased her nervousness, but it didn’t. “Just do it, please.” the last word had her heart and mind going crazy. She could barely believe it. That Kris, someone who’d practically despised the girl and given her a hard time, were now saying please.
“Fine, okay.” Leerang gulped down and it was not without feeling a bit hesitant that she let her eyelids flutter close. To not be able to see what he was doing were incredibly nerve wracking and the girl tensed more and more as the seconds passed by. “Kris?” his name slipped from her lips right before she felt something brush against her hair, and that was followed by a low click, a sound which caused her eyes to fly wide open. He’d moved closer and was now seated just a mere meter away, his arms outstretched towards her, and out of pure instinct did she extend her hand to search for the object he’d placed in her hair. “It’s just the hairpin.” Leerang glanced at the older male, curious, “why are you giving it to me?”
“Isn’t it your birthday?” yeah, but still, “it’s okay though, I don’t need any gifts.” she was right about to remove and hand the pin back to him when Kris, all of a sudden, grasped onto hers hands, thus making it impossible for the girl to reach the hairpin. “I’m not that poor, I can actually afford to give away birthday gifts, too. Besides, it fits you.” Leerang felt her heart palpitate faster and faster after hearing the last sentence, and she was almost disappointed when Kris let go of her hands. “I -ehm, thank you.” it was embarrassing, not only because she was blushing, but also due to the fact that he kept on staring at her. “Aren’t you going to eat?” the cake had practically been all forgotten ever since he showed up, and Leerang couldn't help but to feel a tad bothered, especially after everything Lay had said. His words shouldn't have troubled her so much, but it did and the girl felt uneasy whilst she reached for one of the two plastic forks that'd followed with the cakebox.
A smile spread on her lips as the creamy white cake topped with fresh fruit melted on her tongue. The taste were magnificent and Leerang had to restrain herself from devouring it all as she didn't want to look like a pig. "Did you come here to watch me eat?" Kris shook his head, such a ridiculous thing was not the reason to why he’d showed up. "You are forgetful, that's why." he reached into his pocket to retrieve the cell phone she'd forgotten on the table. "Oh, my phone." Leerang was taken aback, she hadn't even noticed that it was gone. "You should be more careful." hearing him speak with such worry confused the said girl, "it's just a phone, I can buy a new one." it would've been a lot worse if she lost her credit card or something of equal importance. "You can't treasure the true value of things with such a mindset." Kris wasn't exactly surprised by her statement, but it didn't mean he had the same outlook on things. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a spoiled kid," he was right, one couldn't appreciate the true value of things with a mindset like that, "but a phone is the least of my concern after everything that people have stolen from me." she’d gotten her credit card stolen several times in middle school and high school, and it was always a hassle to tell her mother about what’d happened.
"Hm, maybe I should keep this then." Kris smirked and Leerang reacted without thought as she lunged forward, the only problem was the cake, one the girl accidentally planted her hands into before she smeared whipped cream all over Kris' clothes. It hadn't been on purpose though, and her face sported an apologetic look as she pulled back, "I'm sorry I nev -." Leerang was cut short and her eyes widened when the older male painted her cheek with the white, fluffy substance. "Revenge is sweet." the smile which spread on his lips were so astonishing that Leerang found herself in shock. She'd never seen him smile, something the girl found considerably weird as he looked so handsome when doing so. "You're smiling." she regretted ever saying anything the second he pressed his lips together, and it was with a pout Leerang spoke, “don’t do that.” the girl reached over and pulled at his cheeks, a shameless action. But it was not until Kris grasped onto her hands that she noticed how wrong it actually were. "You've become quite a skinship monster." the girl's cheek flushed a deep shade of red, and she looked at their hands as Kris tightened the grip he had around her wrists, "I don't mind though." Leerang's heart skipped a beat and she glanced up just in time to catch his intense gaze, one which caused her heartbeat to increase even more.
The moment however, was interrupted as a male voice exclaimed, "Kris." both of them watched as not only one, but all of his friends showed up. “Hyung?” they gaped at the scene displayed, with cake, whipped cream and fruit smeared across clothes, skin and the bench Kris and Leerang was seated on. “Looks like you’ve been having fun.” the girl wanted to sink through the ground and vanish as the whole situation was embarrassing. It was already bad having to walk home drenched in cake, "I -I should go." she managed to slip away, and the male stared after Leerang as she headed off. It'd happened so fast that Kris hadn't been able to give her the cell phone back.
"Oh god, what have I done?" the girl had a hard time understanding how careless and straightforward she could be around Kris. But such thoughts didn't hinder the fact that Leerang was happy, because her birthday ended up quite okay after all.
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