Title: Shining Star

Requested by: Avy

Characters: Kawaguchi Rin, Park Geon Il

One Shot Writer: sweetcandie

Author’s Note: hope you enjoy this oneshot!

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Rin stood in the food hall with her friends, chatting away. All of a sudden, a new student caught her attention. Time froze.

“Rin?” No response.

“Rin ah?” Rin snapped out of her daze upon hearing Nana call her name.

“Oh, gomen. I was distracted. You were saying?” Kimi laughed at her friend.

“We all saw you looking at Tokyo University’s new student. He and his groupie have been attending Tokyo University for about two weeks now.”

“Two weeks? Oh, and what does it matter if I was looking at him? It’s not like I like him. Is it so wrong to just look a person over?”

“Okay, okay. We know what kind of a person you are already, Rin. Coldhearted and mean to all those cute guys that ask you out. You know, we would love to be in your position.”

“Take it. I would love for all these guys to leave me alone.” And their conversations continued.

When Rin got to class, she saw the new student in there as well. She immediately looked away when he glanced her way. She found her seat and sat down just as the lecture was about to begin.

[How could I not have noticed him before?]

“Class is now over. Please remember that there is an exam tomorrow. Please take some time to study for it tonight.”

“Yes, professor.”

That evening, Rin had spent about 3 hours at the library just sitting at a table and going through all her notes and the textbook.

[European History just isn’t my thing.] Rin let out an exasperated sigh, sat up and stretched, and went right back to reading.

“You, study? No way. Our Park Geon Il is going to the library instead of to our place to hang out.” Geon Il just laughed.

“You all know I’d rather be there than the library. But coach is going to kick me off the team if I don’t pass this exam. As if I wasn’t doing bad already back in Korea. I’ve only been here for two weeks and he’s been on my .”

“Well, good luck then. We have dance rehearsals.”

“Oh, that’s right. Damn it. When is our next performance?”

“In about eight weeks. Pick up your grades fast. We don’t want to be up there without a member. It just wouldn’t be the same.” Geon Il laughed.

“I promise. I wish I had a tutor.” Geon Il left for the library.

When he entered the library, he immediately felt awkward. He wasn’t used to so much silence. He was looking around for a table when he spotted someone.

[Kawaguchi Rin. Tokyo University’s heartbreaker.] Geon Il continued to stare at her.

[I can see why all those guys went heads over heels for her. But how to approach her? I only want to ask for her help, but she’ll say no. How to approach her?]

“Well, might as well just do it straightforwardly.” He took in a deep breath as he made his way to Rin.

“Excuse me?” Rin looked up to see who had approached her. Seeing Geon Il, she all of a sudden felt frozen and unable to move.

[What is this? What the heck is going on?]

“Y-yes?” Geon Il looked at her strangely.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Uh… No.” When he smiled, Rin began to get weird feelings.

[Looks like I have myself a challenge here.]

“I just want to ask you to tutor me.”

“Tutor you? And what’s in it for me?”

“I’ll pay you if you want.” Rin smirked.

“No. It’s okay. I already have a job.”

“Please help me! My manager is going to slay me alive if I don’t get my grades up!”

“Manager?”

“Yes.”

“I knew something was odd about you. Perhaps, are you from Super Nova?” Geon Il shyly grinned as he boasted his status.

“Well, I didn’t think you would’ve known… but yes… I am.”

“Well that’s nice. But I’m still not interested. Would you please leave now? I have studying to do.”

“Please! I’ll give you tickets to our Japan Concert Debut.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“Go? Where?”

“Somewhere we won’t get yelled at if I need to raise my voice at you.”

“Raise your voice? Ha. Why would you need to do that with me?” Rin smirked at Geon Il.

“I have tutored other students before. And I’ve had to yell at them to get them to focus and take things seriously.” Geon Il caught Rin’s hands before she could walk past him. She quickly pulled it away.

“Rule #1: Do Not Touch Me.”

“Gomen. I didn’t know you were that cautious. But anyway…” The smirk on Geon Il’s face but Rin on defense mode.

“What?”

“Would you like to make a bet?”

“Bet? Well, that depends. What is it?”

“If I pass without you having to yell at me, then you buy me dinner. However, if I pass, but you had to pound it into my head, then I’ll buy you dinner. It’s a small bet, nothing attached.” Rin stared  at him, then her heel.

“I’ll decline.” Geon Il caught up with her.

“What? Afraid you’ll lose?” Rin stopped in her tracks and looked up at Geon Il.

“I never lose.”

“Then are you going to accept my challenge?”

“Yes. And it starts the moment we enter that café.”

“Agreed.” They shook hands on the challenge and continued on their way.

On the night before Geon Il’s testing, Rin realized that things were changing for her. One night, after returning from last tutoring session with Geon Il, she laid in her bed after a shower and just stared at the ceiling.

“What is going on with me?” She her side.

“I hate this!” She tossed and turned in her bed before pulling the covers over her head.

“I passed! I passed! Woo! Perfect score!”

“No way!” Yun Hak snatched the letter from Geon Il’s hands.

“Wow! This dude did pass with a perfect score! Who did you cheat off of?”

“Well, if you call asking for help cheating, then I cheated off of Rin.”

“Kawaguchi Rin?!”

“Yes.”

“How did you get her to help you?”

“I just asked her.”

“Nuh-uh. You had to have offered her something else.”

“Well, I did offer her tickets to our concert.”

“Of course. See, tutors must get paid.”

“I also made a bet with her.”

“What was it?”

“If she had to pound it into my head to take things seriously, then I’d buy her dinner.”

“And you lost, didn’t you?”

“No.” All the Super Nova members sat up and stared at Geon Il.

“WHAT?!” Kwang Su cleared his throat.

“You mean to say, our Geon Il who never takes anything serious, actually focused?!”

“Of course. Our group would’ve been in jeopardy if I didn’t.” Sung Mo slithered his way over to Geon Il and wrapped an arm around Geon Il’s shoulders.

“But you seem to always be talking about this Rin. Perhaps you like her.” Geon Il just flashed a smile to his fellow member.

“Maybe I do.”

“Omo! Yah, then what are you still doing here?! Practice starts tomorrow! You need to tell her tonight while you still have the time!” The members ushered their maknae out the doors.

“Make it last!”

[How do they see through me so easily.] When Geon Il reached Tokyo University, he couldn’t find Rin in any of her usual places. He found her friends and decided to ask them. When he walked up to them, he knew their whispers were about him. He couldn’t help but smile knowing he had their support.

“Excuse me.” Kimi answered for the group.

“Yes, how can we help you?”

“Do you know where I can find Rin? I still have some things to settle with her.”

“Like what?”

“Uh… I’m sorry but I’d rather have this just between me and her.”

“Let me ask you a question, Park Geon Il.”

“Go right ahead, please.”

“Do you like Rin?”

“What?”

“Do you have feelings for Rin?”

“Again, I think that should remain private between the two of us.”

“Not if it stresses her out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tennis season isn’t for another few months, yet Rin is practicing as if she has a tournament tomorrow. It isn’t good for her. She hasn’t eaten, only drinks water and practically doesn’t sleep.”

“Please tell me where she is. I might be able to help.”

“No. Because you are probably the cause for her stress. So you can just leave.” Obviously, the other girls didn’t agree. Either ways, Geon Il just thanked them for their time and left.

[Where could she possibly be?]

“She’s at the gym.” Geon Il turned around to see Kimi.

“I wasn’t going to tell you, but you’re so easy to read that I knew that I would be making the wrong decision by not telling you. She’s at the Tokyo University gym.”

“Arigatou Kimi.” Geon Il raced down to the gym. As there were no sports going on at the moment, there weren’t many people there. He roamed around until her heard the pounding of tennis balls on a racket. Smiling, he took off his jacket, picked up a racket and slid right into the game.

[Kawaguchi Rin, get your mind straight. Focus!] Wack!

“I am Kawaguchi Rin.” Wack!

“I do not care for men.” Wack!

“Because they are heartbreakers.” Wack! The return of the tennis ball shocked her. She turned around to see who had decided to join her on the court. She immediately wanted to run upon seeing Geon Il’s face.

“Who told you that?”

“What?”

“That men are heartbreakers.”

“My father.”

“What?”

“He told me the day he left my mother for his mistress!” Geon Il walked up to Rin.

“It’s no wonder why your image of men is so distorted.”

“It’s not distorted.”

“But it is also not the truth.”

“Please just go away. You’re giving me a headache.”

“I’ve come to exchange our winnings.”

“What winnings?”

“As I recall, if I passed without you yelling at me, then you owe me dinner.”

“We can do that another night when I’m thinking straight.”

“No. After tonight, I’ll be busy, so it has to be tonight.”

“Fine.” Geon Il held out two tickets.

“I also owe you these. The concert is tomorrow, so as you see, tomorrow night wouldn’t work for either of us.”

“Fine. I’ll see you tonight then.” Geon Il remained in his spot.

“What else do you want?”

“For you to put a smile on.” Rin pasted a fake smile on her face.

“Happy?”

“No.” Geon Il leaned down and pecked Rin’s lips. She gasped and backed away.

“What are you doing?” Geon Il pulled Rin into his arms and kissed her. He pulled away and looked Rin in the eyes.

“Will you smile for me now?” And Rin did.

“Do you know how much I hate you?”

“No. But I know how much you love me.” Rin’s smile got even bigger.

“I don’t deserve a star like you.”

“Despite what you want, you’re stuck with me as your shining star.” This time Rin released a laugh as Geon Il hugged her.