As Chaerin was walking along the hallways of the school, lost in her thoughts, guys would notice her, sometimes even stop what they were doing, greet her or admire her from a distance.

She was popular among the boys, which caused other girls to hate her. She would ignore the boys’ advances toward her, so some girls would say that she’s so full of herself. Seeing some girls looking at her, whispering to each other, she sighed and made her way to the lockers.

---

 

 

 

It was time for P.E., and the boys had to undergo their annual physical fitness exam.

As Gikwang was walking towards the bleacher where Coach Kwon was seated on, girls were swooning over his biceps, as they were showing because of his cuffed sleeves, and hints of his defined body marked by his slightly-fitted P.E. shirt.

 

“It’s Gikwang!”

“Look at those arms! So muscular~”

 

Coach Kwon encouraged the students to stretch before they start the exam, since there’s still 5 minutes left before recess ends.

 

“Omo~ Chocolate abs!”

“Ugh! He’s so hot, it’s killing me!”

 

He sighed, and almost rolled his eyes. He was tired of this; girls fussing over him because of his body.

Unfortunately, he had a role to play. The girls in this school reminded him of crazy fan girls completely obsessed with their idols. If they change something, be it their image, or they suddenly have a girlfriend, they turn into monsters. He thought of what would happen if he decided to stop his act, but he mentally shuddered, remembering what happened to the former Kingka during his final year of high school.

He approached a group of girls seated the closest to him, wore his usual “playboy smirk”, and decided to take things up a notch.

 

“He’s coming,” one of them whispered.

 

“Hi girls,” he gave them a smile.

“Uh – uhmm, he – hello…” they stammered.

He chuckled, but mentally groaned, “So,” he sat beside one of them and leaned towards her, “What are you girls doing here in this wonderful afternoon? I hope you came to watch me…”

She nodded meekly, entranced by his attention towards her.

He turned to the girl on his right, “So, what can I do for you lovely ladies today?”

was slightly open from her surprise because of his sudden interest in her, and her mind going blank.

“Tsk, tsk. Now, now. We’re in public. We don’t wanna be going to the principal’s office now, do we?”

He smirked, when she shook her head, dazed.

“Yah, Gikwang! Stop fooling with those girls! You’re getting their heads all messed up!” one of his friends shouted.

He laughed at that, and turned towards the girls.

“Maybe next time?”

He stood up and walked over to the guys, surprised once again by his own actions.

 

 

Chaerin was still panting, as she was out of breath from being dragged to the oval by her friends. She still had no idea why she was brought here, until her outspoken friend, Emily, shrieked, “It’s Gikwang!”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Are you telling me that you literally dragged me so that we could look at a guy before his P.E. class? Seriously?”

“Yeah. She brought us here to watch Senior Playboy in action,” Mi-na, her tough friend, commented.

“Huh?”

“It’s the guys’ physical exam,” her quiet friend, Hyun Ha, informed.

“Ohh. So that’s why Jin’s not with us.”

Hyun Ha nodded and pointed to the left, “There’s Jin.”

“Look at the playboy flirting with his fans,” Mi-na stated, with a roll of her eyes.

Chaerin looked; sure enough, there he was, getting cozy with some girls.

Then, someone shouted something unintelligible, but it appeared like one of his friends called him over, as he stood up and left the girls. He approached a group of guys and they started talking and laughing.

She noticed something about him changed when he was with his friends; his “aura” seemed to be more carefree. He had an adorable smile, and when he laughed, his eyes would disappear into slits.

And his lips. His lips were full and very –

She shook her head; she can’t be thinking those thoughts. She slightly shuddered.

She looked at him again; he glanced to his side, looked up at the bleachers, where they were seated, and look right at her.

They established eye contact, he gave her a small smile; she blushed and looked away quickly. He was cute.

“Too bad he’s such a jerk,” Mi-na commented. Apparently, they’ve been talking about him, but apparently she was busy checking him out and she missed some of the conversation.

“He’s not!” Emily defended.

“Uh, yeah, he is. He’s a and a playboy –”

“But he’s not a jerk. A is different from a jerk,” Emily interjected smugly, and crossed her arms over her chest.

She rolled her eyes at her friends’ antics.

“Gee, defensive much?”

“Well, he is a nice guy.”

They all looked at Hyun Ha in surprise; Chaerin was making sure that she wasn’t that obvious.

“How did you…?” Emily started.

“Well, when he came to our house –”

“HE WENT TO YOUR HOUSE?!”

“Emily, I’m not deaf. Yes, he’s been to our house.  My brother is his friend; they’re in the same group, so he brought them over a couple of times to hang out…”

“Tell me more! I can’t believe that you’ve kept this from us! Do you know how many girls would kill for your life right now? How’s he like –”

Chaerin laughed, but earned a glare from Emily.

Hyun Ha giggled, “He’s actually very nice. Or maybe because I was the sister of his friend, but it seems like he’s really kind. And, he was neither a nor a jerk. He didn’t try to hit on me. He was like any normal guy; he talks a lot though, and he also has a good sense of humor. He treated me like one of his friends.”

“Wow,” was all that Emily uttered.

It was silent.

“Wait!” she suddenly exclaimed, “Does he have a girlfriend? What’s he looking for in a girl? Details, please!” she pleaded.

“No. I didn’t ask. There’s nothing else to say.”

Chaerin and Mi-na guffawed at how straightforward Hyun Ha was.

“Ohmygooossshhh!”

Emily, however, was still spazzing.

Then, the bell rang.

“Come on, Emily. Let’s go before you die from happiness out here,” Chaerin stated.

 

 

As she was walking along the quiet and dark corridors of the school after leaving the library, the hair on the back of her neck stood up; she felt like someone was watching her. She walked briskly; however, someone blocked her way.

“Hello Chaerin.”

She gulped; she didn’t like the sound of his voice and the sickly sweet way he said her name.

“Hi,” she managed to spit out while not looking at his face and trying to walk past him.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

Her heart started to beat faster due to fear of the person in front of her.

“I – I have to go home. I still have a lot of chores to finish,” she said.

He chuckled, “Then why don’t I help you? I’m sure it would be done faster and we could, you could say, find something else… interesting to do,” he suggested.

She was freaked out by the random dude hitting on her.

“Let me go,” she said, more forceful this time.

He laughed darkly.

“Come on, don’t be a snob. Don’t you wanna be… happy?”

Her eyes widened.

How did he –

Of course, it’s a given. Everyone wants to be happy.

But she didn’t want that kind of happiness. She wanted a guy who would make her happy by loving her truly; loving her for he she was, not because she was beautiful or smart; someone who would understand her; someone she’d have a deeper connection with and bring out the best she could possibly.

However, this guy wanted her for her body, not caring about who she really was and her true feelings. He also scared her, a lot.

She became frustrated and increasingly afraid.

“I said let me go!” she screamed, while trying to break from his iron grip on her wrist.

However, she was no match for him; he grabbed her other wrist and pushed her roughly against the wall. She started tearing up.

His face was centimeters away from hers, and he whispered, “Loosen up. Let’s have some fun,” and looked at her with lust evident in his eyes.

Her tears were now falling down her cheeks.

She started squirming, trying to escape from his trap. He just pushed her again, which caused a sob to escape from her lips.

 

His lips were getting closer to hers.

 

 

“She said let her go.”

 

 

She jumped at the voice.

“Who’s there?” the guy shouted.

 

 

No answer.

 

 

“Who the hell are you?” he spat at the shadows.

 

 

“Be nice and let her go.”

He scoffed, “Why don’t you show yourself and face me like a man?”

 

 

There was no reply, so he turned his attention to her and leaned closer; she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, scared of the outcome of her present situation.

Then, a hand grabbed his shoulder, pulled him away from her, and a strong blow was delivered to his face.

He fell over, clutching his bleeding nose.

 

 

She opened her eyes when she felt the weight holding her lighten, and she heard a sickening sound, like something breaking.

She saw the guy lying on the floor, rolled over, and obviously in pain, with splatters of blood on his uniform.

She slid down the wall in surprise.

A guy stepped out of the shadows.

It was Gikwang.

He walked over to her, stepping on the guy’s arm in the process, which caused him to scream in pain, and smiled.

“Hey. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head; he sighed in relief. He held a hand out, she placed her hand on his, he pulled her up, and encircled an arm around her waist protectively.

She blushed; good thing it’s dark in here, she thought.

However, the dude was furious. He stood up and charged like a lunatic at Gikwang.

Gikwang turned around, letting go of Chaerin by letting her stand far behind him, delivered a roundhouse kick, hitting the guy’s stomach hard, and an uppercut. He fell again, clutching his stomach in pain.

“What did I do to you dude? I was just having some fun with my girl… There are other girls you could have –”

He was cut off by his own scream when Gikwang kicked him in the stomach.

“She’s not that kind of girl.”

Gikwang pulled Chaerin towards him and put an arm around her waist.

“She’s with me. Mess with her again… I’ll break your neck,” he spat, pulling her closer to him.

He picked up her bag, and they walked out of the school.

 

---

 

 

 

It was quiet for awhile, except for the sounds of her sniffling; she was still crying. He turned towards her and wiped her cheeks with his thumb.

“Th – Thank you…”

“You’re welcome. And I’m sorry.”

She looked up at him, confused.

“For what?”

“I came late. I should’ve been there earlier, if I wasn’t caught up in –”

“It’s okay. As long as I’m safe now…”

“It’s not,” he said firmly, “He almost… I can’t imagine what would happen if…” he trailed off.

“I’m curious though.”

“About what?”

“Why did you help me?”

He was quiet for a minute and muttered, “You didn’t want my help?”

He sounded hurt.

“No! That’s not what I meant. It’s just that… I don’t know… I mean, why were you at school? Not that I’m not grateful that you were… I mean, they said you’re like a playboy and and stuff, so maybe you would have just let him do that…” she trailed off, not knowing how to continue, and shocked that she actually said that.

He was serious for awhile, so she thought that he was angry at her. However, he laughed out loud.

“It appears like my reputation precedes me.”

“Um, yeeaahh…”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too, Chae.”

“Really?” she gulped; what are people talking about behind her back?

He chuckled, “People say nasty things about others all the time. It could be true, or maybe not. But there’s always a reason for everyone’s behavior.”

He looked at her and smiled; she couldn’t help but smile a little.

He sighed and looked at nothing in particular, “People call me a , because I like to make ‘suggestive’ comments. Others call me a playboy because I mess with girls a lot; it started out to be friendly at first, but, and I don’t mean to sound cocky, I heard that girls liked my body and made them notice me. In the beginning, the attention felt good, then, I realized that that’s all they liked about me: my body and looks. It hurt a lot, and made me miserable, but I had to keep it up since I also earned ‘respect’ from other guys. I started to feel empty…” he trailed off, his expression becoming sad.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to put that all on you –”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” she smiled.

Wow, she thought. Who would’ve known?

“You’re Hyun Ha’s friend right?”

She nodded.

He smiled, “She’s cool. Have she been telling stories about me?”

It was her turn to smile, “A few. She’s a bit quiet.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “She told me some about you, as well.”

“What?!”

“Guys have been noticing you for a long time, so I’ve been hearing about you for awhile. I was curious as to why you seem to be cold to others, but your friend said you were actually crazy.”

Hyun Ha! Why did you have to say that? she thought.

She looked down. They stopped, and he let go of his hold on her waist, “Let’s sit?”

She looked around; they were at a park.

“Sure.”

As they were seating, he had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was looking straight ahead; she was swinging her feet, with her hands pressed on the bench on both sides of lap, while looking up at the sky.

“I don’t like to talk a lot, especially with people I’m not close with. I feel like others would constantly judge me. The same goes for guys. I feel like they want to be close with me because of superficial reasons. I’m different to my friends because I feel like they’ve accepted me for who I really am.”

He nodded at that, “Um, do you really not want to have a… a boyfriend?”

She coughed at that, and looked at her hands, which were now folded on her lap.

“I really want to experience the feeling of being in love with someone. It’s just that I’m looking for a guy who will love me for who I am and make me happy. No offense, but I’m not even sure if that kind of guy still exists,” she scoffed.

He nodded and placed a hand over hers. He knew the feeling.

“Come on. Let me walk you home.”

 

 

Rumors were spreading that Gikwang and Chaerin were having a secret relationship.

“Yah, Chaerin! What’s this? You and Gikwang?” she seemed angry, and then her expression turned… dreamy, “And you didn’t even bother to tell us about it?” Emily exclaimed.

She sighed, and proceeded to tell them about what really happened that night.

“WHAT?!”

“Uhh.. Guys? Could you –”

 “Gikwang as your knight-in-shining-armor! Girl, you’re so lucky!” she playfully slapped Chaerin’s shoulder and swooned.

“Shut up! Someone might hear you,” Chaerin hissed.

“Don’t worry, Chae. She’s just giving in to her fantasies,” Mi-na commented.

“But that was nice of him,” Hyun Ha stated.

“Yeah! The way he defended you. The way he talked to you, making sure you were okay. Oh, and bringing you all the way home…” she sighed.

Suddenly, shrieks filled the canteen.

Their group looked around for the source of the noise, but saw Gikwang walking towards them, smiling at Chaerin.

It was quiet, but the other girls had their mouth hanging open when he approached Chaerin’s table, and how brightly he was smiling at her. Whispers started to fill the canteen.

But Gikwang paid it no mind.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

He turned to her friends, “Can I talk to your friend for awhile?”

They nodded.

He smiled, and held a hand out to her.

She raised an eyebrow, confused; he groaned playfully, grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the canteen.

“Hey… Wait! Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see~” he said in a sing-song voice.

They were walking outside, and they stopped in front of a tree with a bench in front, situated close to the woods of the school grounds.

He slowly released his hold on her hand and looked at her for a minute.

“Is there anything wrong?” she asked.

“You’ve heard the rumors?” he murmured, while looking at his feet.

She was surprised. Would he get angry because of the rumors? Honestly though, she didn’t mind them at all, as she was starting to like him, as strange as that may sound.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Then…” he trailed off, making it quiet for awhile. The only sound that could be heard was the leaves rustling…

“Would you like to go out with me?”

Her eyes widened in surprise, as she never expected him to say that. Her heart started to beat faster…

“They’re saying we’re a couple.”

He sighed, “I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.”

He walked closer.

“Honestly, I… I like you, Chae. Whenever I see you in school, either just walking alone or laughing with your friends, my heart starts beating like crazy. Whenever you look my way, I – I feel as if I’ll melt from your gaze. When your friend tells me stories about you, I feel like… like I’m one of those people who’ll be able understand and appreciate the real you. I feel like you’re the only person who’ll understand me, especially when you look at me intently when I talk, and make me feel true happiness. I want to know you, what makes you laugh out loud, what makes you smile, what makes you squeal in delight. I know what I just said sounds cheesy, but please. Please give me a chance, Chae.”

She was speechless.

No one has ever, ever, said anything remotely close to that before. I don’t want to lie to myself anymore either. Maybe this is it. This is my chance to experience the love and happiness I’ve been looking for, she pondered.

He was inches away from her, but he couldn’t see her expression as she kept her head down. He wanted to make sure he got through her, and clearly stated his intentions, so he decided to give it another shot. He didn’t want to let go of something that could possibly change his life for the better.

“Lee Chaerin? Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night? And maybe the night after tomorrow night? And maybe the night after the night after tomorrow night –”

“… Yes,” she looked up, “I would love that,” smiling widely.

He was shocked at how beautiful she looked, and how perfect the moment was, that he couldn’t react quickly.

Suddenly, he hugged her tight and spun her around. She laughed.

“Put me down!” she exclaimed while laughing.

He chuckled and placed her safely on the ground, not letting go of her just yet.

He inched closer to her, his left arm still around her waist, while he used his right hand to brush a strand of her hair at the back of her ear.

She blushed at the simple but sweet act, and smiled.

He smiled, showing her his “eye-smile,” which also made her giggle quietly, leaned closer until their noses were touching, and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

She blushed deeper. He placed his forehead on hers, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment.

“I like you too, Lee Gikwang.”