Second Chances and the what if's...

California (after 2 yrs)

‘tadaima!’

I turned around from slicing some vegetables when I heard ria call out from the doorway. I was home early from attending a seminar for budding fashion designers and I decided to make dinner for the 3 of us.

‘okaerinasai ria-san, im in the kitchen…need some help with dinner’ I called out

‘hai! Is aia-san home already?’ she asked as I heard her enter her bedroom, probably to drop off her things from attending her classes at the university.

‘iie…maybe in a few hours, she’s busy with her interviews as a preschool teacher’ I answered as I opened a bottle of wine, we’ve made san francisco our home for almost 2 years now. I didn’t realized that it has been 2 years since we left Tokyo and started to do what we wanted to do…away from family, away from the people who were responsible for our sudden departure and away from love.

I looked outside and marveled at the view of the ocean nearby. I would have wanted to take a walk at the beach just for old times sake but then again I had too much to do and I didn’t have time to make a trip down memory lane and remember a certain idiot named kim heechul. I told my friends my story from the time I had lunch with heechul and his family up until ria’s wedding day when I saw that eun ae.

They didn’t have to ask what my feelings for that moron was, they only have to look in my eyes to know that I love him, I’ve fallen in love with a playboy and there’s no way in hell I’ll admit that…not even if he kneels infront of me with a boquet of blood red roses and a giant teddy bear in tow. I wouldn’t admit to falling in love…that was the difference between me and ria, kyuhun the jerk knew she loves him, I cant be as selfless like her.

‘ohh what’s with the wine?’ she asked as she took a bite from one of the cookies I baked ‘oishii…you shouldn’t be a fashion designer…lets just start our own bakeshop’ she said and started to slice potatoes

I laughed and handed her a glass of wine ‘its almost 2 years ria-san…do you think we’ve made it?’ I asked her

She sighed and looked at me ‘I actually don’t have any answers for that Sammie-san, I do hope we’re strong enough. Do you want to go home?’

‘I’m not sure if I want to go back…but we all have to go back…’ I answered with a smile ‘anyway lets not talk about any depressing , how was your day?’

‘hmm it was alright, I have to teach another class..another load’ she smiled as she bit into a cookie again

I shook my head at her ‘leave some for aia-san…hell ria you eat way too much for a puny girl’ I laughed and threw a slice of carrot at her

She stuck her tongue out ‘I don’t get fat..ever hehe. What about your day Sammie-san?’

‘well…the seminar was wonderful and  I was asked to submit my resume for companies in the industry who might need a designer…its duhh’

‘tadaima!! Ria? Sammie?’

We giggled at the noise aia was making when she entered our apartment ‘kitchen aia-san!!’

‘ohh dinner?? Arigato..i bought muffins!! Cookies??!’ she shouted as she saw the cookies on the kitchen counter and bit on one ‘sugoii!! Arigato Sammie-san’

I laughed and nodded ‘come help us here aia-san…if you want to eat then help us make dinner…have some wine too’ I told her as I handed her the meat

‘hai…I’ll just put these muffins on a plate. The kids were wonderful’ she said and we all listened to how her day was.

That was we do everday, have dinner together and talk how about how our day went. We all knew that we somehow miss our families and old friends that we left behind but one day..someday soon we can all go back and not think about what happened before.

***

‘goodmorning sam’

I smiled and waved as a return greeting. It was a busy Monday morning and I was rushing a few designs and a few other papers that I need for work that week. I just started working as one of the fashion designers in a modeling firm and work was hectic. I rarely get the chance to be with my bestfriends anymore, then again they were both busy with their own careers as well…ria as a psychiatric nurse (we still about that…hehe) and aia as a preschool teacher. We all agreed to have dinner together, so I have to rush a couple of things in order to make it.

I finally made it to my desk and dropped my things on one of the vacant chairs and turned my laptop on, I need a break…I badly need one. The office was noisy as usual and people were running to and fro carrying loads of papers, cloths and who knows what else. I could also hear some models whining and complaining about certain photo shoots with their hysterical managers in tow, in the reception area I could see the patient smile of our receptionist Ms. Smith as she deals with a couple of would be models who looked like zombies to me…sigh* this is my day to day life, will I be able to survive with this kind of work environment?? It’s as noisy as hell.

I haven’t even began to sip my coffee when one of my bosses called me to go to her office, is this the break I’m looking for??

‘morning geneva’ I greeted her as her secretary ushered me inside her office, Geneva Sutherland didn’t want us to call her miss or ma’am since it makes her feel old. I wonder if she would ever look and feel old, at the age of 40 she still had men at her feet.

‘oh hello Sammie girl, how’s my newest talent?’ she said with the usual weird smile of hers, she would often call me her newest talent though I don’t know why.

I sat infront of her and smiled ‘fine…finally getting the hang of working in this place you call home, did you sleep here again?’ I asked her as I noticed her crumpled blouse and mini skirt

She gave off an embarrassed laugh and nodded ‘I had to rush a few things darling..’ she said her ‘darling’ sounded very much like ‘dahling’ cant these people I work with pronounce things properly??

‘well you remember about your resumes a couple of months ago right?’ she asked me as she lit a cigarette.

I nodded ‘yes, what about them? You asked me to make them during the seminar…you even hired me on the spot’

‘how can I not hire someone like you Sammie? You’re uber talented!!’ she squealed

Did she just say ‘uber’?? ehhh…talk about slang Geneva ‘thanks…soo what about them?’ I asked

She smiled at me as she handed me an envelope filled with who knows what ‘open them…it’s the start  of your career as a designer Sammie girl’ she said

I nodded and felt nervous all of a sudden ‘you’re not firing me are you?’

‘darling…of course not I wouldn’t fire you, you’re too great! Just open that damn envelope will you Sammie I’m sure you would like that offer’

‘fine…just stay still will you Geneva? You’re more excited than I am’ I told her in between laughs as I saw the contents of the envelope…a 3 yr contract, some other documents, portfolios, and a one way ticket to Seoul, Korea. ‘a contract with SM Entertainment?’ I whispered

‘isnt that great Sammie?! You have a chance to work in one of the biggest entertainment firms in Korea, you have a chance to work with those famous kpop singers, girl groups and boy groups…maybe even some actresses!!’ Geneva squealed

I looked at her and back at the ticket I was holding, I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or saddened about this offer. I doubt that I’m ready to face kim heechul or the rest of suju if I’m going to work with them. I guess I wasn’t as strong as I thought was.

‘don’t you want me here anymore?’ I asked her

She looked at me and held my hand from across the table ‘we all want you here Sammie, you know that…but I want my designers to broaden their horizons, you cant just sit on your desk and do designs all day’ she argued ‘give it a shot…if you don’t like it there anymore FAME is always going to welcome you with open arms’

‘okay…I’ll read the contract first and let you know by tomorrow…looks like they need a designer asap’ I told her and managed a smile as I stood up.

‘sammie…if it’s about him, it’s going to be fine’ geneva added with a knowing grin

‘duhh…he’s as good as dead to me’ I told her as I closed the door and went back to my desk. Geneva’s right, I cant just sit here all day and make designs…this is a good opportunity for me to explore the field and make my designs known…even if it means seeing kim heechul again, it’s a chance I have to take…

‘korea…welcome me with open arms’ I whispered as I got my mobile phone and dialed aia’s number

‘konichiwa Sammie-san!’ she said as she answered the call ‘gomen about the background noise…the kids are playing outside’

‘daijobu aia san…I’m going to work for SM entertainment’ I quickly told her

Ohh..honto?!  that’s good Sammie-san SM entertainment is-what?? That’s in Seoul!!! How…what the hell is going on?!’ she almost shouted at me over the phone and that was the first time I ever heard our prim lil aia say the word ‘hell’

‘ahh..i’ll tell you guys over dinner later…I’ll call ria too but I’m not sure if she has her phone with her but I’ll try anyways…see you at home later aia-san…’ I told her and ended that call to dial ria’s mobile number and true to what I just said ria’s phone was somewhere inside her bag since mobile phones are off limits inside the facility she’s working in, telling her the news would have to wait.

I looked at the ticket again and sighed ‘to be or not to be…that is the question, I wonder how that retard is doing?’ I wondered as I leaned back on my chair.

‘I’ll be seeing you pretty soon kim heechul’ I whispered as I started working on a new dress, for now those thoughts will have to wait for I have a very heavy workload to finish if I want to make it alive for dinner later.

***

Seoul, Korea

Heechul’s pov

‘sungmin-ah I’m starving!!’ he shouted as he looked at sungmin who was busy making breakfast for all of them.

‘bwoh..you’re always hungry heenim, you should behave like your lovely cats heebum and baengsin! Why cant you be like them anyway’ sungmin responded as he looked at him from over his shoulder

He could have said more when a still depressed kyuhyunnie walked into the dining room and slumped on one of the vacant chairs infront of him. Their evil magnae wasn’t in the mood to do anything, oh he was always in the mood whenever they have shows and guestings for he loves his craft, but whenever they’re home he acts like a zombie…he’s not even teasing them or playing pranks with any of them anymore.

‘hey kyuhyun-ah…woke up in the wrong side of the bed again?’ he asked

Kyuhyun looked up at him and nodded ‘ne, hyung…I don’t feel good’

‘you always don’t feel good eversince ria-sshi left’ leeteuk hyung told their youngest who blushed at the mere mention of his ex fiancé ‘s name. they never heard anything from her or from her friends after the wedding got cancelled.

He often wondered how saucy sam was, though he never called her again after the last conversation they had when he was drunk, he could hardly remember what they talked about and yesungie couldn’t remember a single detail either, would he ever get a chance to see her or have him throw insults on his face? The rest of the suju was surprised on how he could tolerate the way she would treat him, for they knew his temper was legendary and he wouldn’t allow anyone to talk to him that way and to top it all they liked the way she treats him and one way or another it made him smile knowing that she wasn’t affected by his popularity.

‘heenim hyung?’

He turned around and saw a still sleepy yesungie calling him ‘ne? in the dining area sleepyhead’

‘do you remember Sammie-ah?’

‘that pretty chick who could’ve beat heenim at dancing but since our hyung asked me to make him win he won instead?’ eunhyuk answered for him, he gave the latter a glare and just smiled at him ‘what about her?’

‘I overheard manager nim, talk about a certain designer from the states, san Francisco I think, they got her to replace our designer…I’m not sure yet’ yesung told them as he sat beside him

‘do you know anything about ria-ah?’ kyuhyun asked

Yesung shook his head ‘aniyo kyuhyunnie…a-chan would never tell me where they are, mianhe…’

We all turned to look at kyuhyunnie, he still looked like the world fell down on his shoulders and he bore all the weight, now they all knew how atlas felt when he bore the world on his shoulders…it wasn’t a pretty sight.

He felt excited that there maybe a chance he could see Sammie-ah again…let the sparring games begin, he thought with a naughty smile making his brothers look at him as if he was crazy..

‘I said behave…not act like crazy, smiling alone in your seat’ sungmin told him as a plate of eggs and bacon was laid before him…

‘hehe…secret’ he just told them making him appear all the more crazy to them.

***

i'm updating one chapter everyday. i hope you guys like the way the story goes :) comments are again greatly appreciated ^_^