“Promise to wait for me no matter what happens, all right?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the first day of second year, and Taecyeon was waving to his mother as she called, “Make sure you eat lunch, all right? I packed your favourite food!”

Taecyeon nodded, then turned to the school, taking a deep breath. He hoped that this year would be better. Last year had been bad, with other kids bullying him almost all the time.

Unfortunately, it seemed that this year would be the same. As Taecyeon stepped in the direction of his classroom, a voice hooted, “Look who it is, it’s the shorty!”

A hand shoved Taecyeon, hard, and he landed face-flat on the floor. He shot to his feet at once, his face furious.

Standing behind him was a group of bullies in his year that had bullied him often last year. Myungsoo nudged JB, “Yah, what do you think? Has he grown?”

JB laughed, “Nah, I think he’s shrunk a couple of centimeters.”

Jiyeon’s voice was full of mock-pity as she spoke, “Aw guys, don’t do this to him. Look at him, he looks like he’s going to cry, the poor baby.”

“I’m not a baby.” Taecyeon snarled through gritted teeth.

Krystal opened to add to the insults, but her eyes flickered to something behind him; her eyes went wide, “Who is that?”

The others all looked up. Suzy’s eyebrow went up, “Wow, she looks like a freak. Even more than shorty here.”

“Look at her clothes! Jesus, she looks like she came out of a dumpster! And who wears specs at our age?” JB hooted with laugher. Ignoring Taecyeon, the five of them walked towards the newcomer.

Taecyeon spun around, only to see a short girl dressed in filthy, torn clothes, with huge spectacles that did not fit her. She was unfamiliar to him, and she looked out of place and scared.

The five of them waited till her parents were out of sight before setting on her. Taecyeon hesitated, wondering if he should step in. But then again, it wasn’t like he could even defend himself, was it? Shaking his head, he turned away and quickly scurried to his classroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They were in the classroom, waiting as the teacher called their names. Taecyeon was surprised to see the dirty girl in his class; he thought that she would have been a first year, since he didn’t recognise her.

The teacher pulled the new girl to the front of the class, “This is Ham Eunjung, she just moved to our town, so you all take good care of her, all right?” The teacher pushed her towards an empty desk, “You sit there, between Taecyeon and Myungsoo. The rest of you, get ready for your next teacher.”

The teacher strode out of the room, as Eunjung made her way to her seat. Immediately, Myungsoo leaned away, exclaiming, “Oh my god, what is that smell?”

Sniggers erupted from the other classmates. Eunjung’s face flushed bright red, but she did not say anything.

JB’s voice called from the back of class, “Four-Eyes, do you even bathe?”

When there was no reply, Jiyeon added, “Of course she doesn’t. I bet she doesn’t even wash her clothes! Just look at them!”

There was a wave of laughter, but a voice broke in sharply, “Leave the new girl alone.”

It was Lee Jang Woo, the class monitor. He was a bit of a nerd, but he was respected enough that the others did not challenge him.

Taecyeon leaned towards Eunjung, “Eunjung-sshi, you all right?” He thought he heard her sniffling, but he couldn’t be sure. He hesitated, biting his lip, then passed her his handkerchief. She took it gratefully, murmuring a soft thanks.

Then the teacher came in, and nothing more was said between them. As it came to the end of class, the five bullies charged out of the class, heading towards the canteen. Taecyeon was glad. There had been days where they had stayed back during lunch, choosing to bully him instead. He walked over to Eunjung, “Hi, my name’s Ok Taecyeon, it’s nice to meet you.”

Eunjung’s voice was soft and more melodic than he had expected, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

Taecyeon jerked his head towards Myungsoo’s table, “You should get out of their way, they can be a pretty vicious bunch.”

Before he could say anymore, Jang Woo approached, speaking in an affable tone, “Hi, Eunjung-sshi, I’m Jang Woo, the class monitor. If you have any problems, you can just speak to me, all right?” He waited for her nod before smiling and turning away. Taecyeon nodded towards Jang Woo, “He’s a nice guy. Doesn’t hurt to hang out around him.”

When Eunjung did not respond, Taecyeon raised an eyebrow, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Eunjung shook her head.

Taecyeon shrugged, “Well, seeing as we’re probably going to be the targets of the bullies for the rest of our lives in school, we might as well be friends.” He stuck his hand out.

There was such a long pause that Taecyeon almost withdrew his hand, thinking she would not respond. Just as he was about to do so, she reached out and shook his hand, her voice soft as she spoke, “Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eunjung cried out painfully as someone shoved her from behind; she glared up at Suzy, who was wearing a face of false sweetness, “Oops, sorry. Didn’t see you there, you’re so small.”

There was a burst of laughter from her friends. Eunjung’s fists clenched. But before she could do anything, Taecyeon’s voice yelled, “Leave her alone, you bullies!”

Taecyeon rushed up to Eunjung, standing in front of her as he glared at Suzy, “Leave my friend alone.”

Suzy hesitated, as if intimidated. JB and Myungsoo both pushed their way forward, “You got a problem?” Myungsoo shoved Taecyeon, hard. But Taecyeon stood strong against him, and Myungsoo’s face flushed angrily. JB sneered, “Don’t think just because you’ve grown bigger means anything has changed. After all, birds of a feather flock together, don’t they?” He looked down pointedly at Eunjung.

Jiyeon’s voice was bored and impatient, “Let’s not waste any more time with them, they’re not worth it.” She turned and strode off, and the others followed her.

Taecyeon quickly helped Eunjung up, “You all right?”

Eunjung winced, but nodded, “Yeah, I’m fine. You’re really lucky you’re not really getting bullied anymore. After your growth spurt, I think they’re even a little scared of you. After all, you tower over everyone in the class except JB and Myungsoo, and even then you’re slowly getting closer to their height.”

Taecyeon growled, “I should teach those bullies a lesson!”

Eunjung touched his hand, “I’m all right. As long as I have you, I’ll be all right.”

Taecyeon glanced at her and smiled, holding up his pinky, “Promise. And you promise to wait for me no matter what happens, all right?”

Eunjung grinned and hooked her pinky around his, “I promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Go JB-oppa, go Myungsoo-oppa!” The screams of the girls in their class were clearly audible as they cheered for the two teenagers. JB smirked; he dribbled the ball to the left, as fast as a bullet, and his leg slammed into the ball, kicking it into the net. There was a scream from the girls.

The PE teacher blew his whistle, “All right, kids, that’s enough. Take a five minute break.”

JB and Myungsoo gave each other a high-five, clapping each other on the back. Myungsoo grinned, “Pretty good, buddy. Three goals to you.”

“You got two goals in too, kiddo.” JB ruffled Myungsoo’s hair. JB paused, then glanced over at Taecyeon, who was just passing, “Yo, Taecyeon!”

Taecyeon spun around, his expression shocked at being addressed by JB in such a friendly manner. JB paused, staring at Taecyeon in a slightly cold way for a moment. Then he gave a slight smile, “That was pretty cool, your three goals. Good game.”

Taecyeon’s jaw nearly fell open, but he managed to nod, “Thanks. You too.”

Taecyeon headed over to Eunjung, who clapped as he approached, “That was awesome, Taec-oppa. Even JB had to admit that you were good!”

Taecyeon grinned, “Thanks.” He glanced over at JB and Myungsoo, who were now talking to Jiyeon, Krystal and Suzy as the five of them ignored the group of fangirls growing around them. Eunjung followed his gaze, and shook her head, “I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with the girls in our school. It’s not like JB or Myungsoo will even take notice of them, so why bother?”

“They’re cool and hot, so of course the girls will like them. Besides, what makes you think they won’t take any notice of them?” Taecyeon asked. Eunjung rolled her eyes, “Are you dense or what? Isn’t it obvious?”

Taecyeon blinked, then shook his head. Eunjung rolled her eyes again, exasperated, but more than a little amused. She reached over to rap his head, “JB and Jiyeon are childhood friends, aren’t they? They’ve known each other like, what, since they were babies?”

Taecyeon nodded, still not quite getting her point.

“Exactly. And I caught the two of them kissing each other behind the schoolyard just last week. It looked pretty hot, too. I almost thought they were going to start making out right there and then. And Myungsoo and Krystal too; the two of them are awfully close nowadays, don’t you think? He’s even starting meeting her at her classroom and escorting her around.” Eunjung told him in a matter-of-fact way.

Taecyeon blinked. Then his jaw fell open, “Wait, you mean that JB and Jiyeon, and Krystal and Myungsoo are dating?”

Eunjung was speechless.

Just then, the PE teacher called the class to gather. He cleared his throat as he looked at his clipboard, “All right, time to announce the guys who made it to the team. Chansung, Wooyoung, Jonghyun and Dongjun, you guys all made it to the JV team. As for the varsity team…Minho, JB, Myungsoo and Taecyeon.”

Minho whooped, as he and Jonghyun hugged each other. Chansung and Wooyoung gave each other high-fives, while Dongjun sighed in relief and happiness.

Jiyeon pecked JB on the cheek, “Not too bad, after all.” JB grinned, “I told you I’d get in.”

Myungsoo turned to Krystal, “No kiss for me?” Krystal stuck her tongue out, “Please, all the other three scored at least three goals, and Minho scored four! You only scored two goals, so dream on!”

Myungsoo pouted, “Fine! I’ll score three goals for you in the next game!”

Eunjung hugged Taecyeon tightly, “Oppa, that’s great! Congratulations!”

Taecyeon felt light-headed in his happiness as he hugged her back, “C’mon, let’s go for lunch. I’ll treat you today.”

As they headed for the canteen, a voice called out, “Yah, Ok Taecyeon, do you want to join us for lunch?”

Both Taecyeon and Eunjung whipped around, their jaws falling open as they stared at Myungsoo in disbelief. Before they could think of what to say, Suzy grabbed Taecyeon’s hand and pulled him away, “Come on, time’s wasting away. Let’s go!”

And Eunjung was left, staring after them, as Taecyeon allowed himself to be pulled away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The screams and cheers filled the air; as Myungsoo passed the ball to Taecyeon. With incredible force, Taecyeon kicked the ball, and it shot forward into the net; everyone leapt to their feet, screaming wildly.

“Go Taec!” Myungsoo yelled, pumping his fist into the air. Taecyeon lifted his hands in victory. There was only a minute left till the game ended, and their team was at a draw with their opponents. As Taecyeon received the ball, he dribbled it to the left and kicked it to JB. JB aimed, and then his leg shot forward –

“SCORE!”

The crowd erupted into a screaming mass as they strained to reach the football stars. JB gave Taecyeon a high-five, “Good job, hyung!”

Taecyeon grinned, “Right back at you!” The spectators were converging on the team, congratulating them on their win, but everyone still made way for Jiyeon and Krystal. Krystal threw her arms around Myungsoo’s neck, pecking him on the lips, “Three goals in an official game. That’s pretty awesome.”

Myungsoo grinned, “I scored for you.”

On the other side, Jiyeon was pulling JB away from the screaming mass of fangirls. JB raised an eyebrow, “Why do you look so grumpy when I’ve won?”

Jiyeon spun around and glared at him, “Have you been doing anything behind my back?”

JB blinked, startled, “Wait, what? Where did that come from?”

Jiyeon’s eyes narrowed, “Well?”

“Of course not! What made you think so?” JB raised his hands in defence, his voice a little panicky.

Jiyeon shot a look at the fangirls, “I heard those girls behind and beside me talking about how they’d make much better girlfriends than I would, and that you preferred them to me!”

JB rolled his eyes in exasperation, “God, Jiyeon, why do you even listen to those girls? You know most of what they say is bull. I even heard a guy saying he’s made out with you.”

Jiyeon stared at him, startled, and suddenly the situation changed, “What? You…you what?”

“Don’t worry, of course I didn’t believe him. Anyway, the night he claimed it was on was the night I was over at your house.” JB reassured her. He pulled her into his arms, “Come on, you know I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

Jiyeon pouted, “You better not.” Then she kissed him on the lips, “Good game, anyway.”

JB grinned, “That was what I was waiting for.”

Eunjung had only just gotten out of her seat to congratulate Taecyeon when someone grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Bewildered, she turned around, only to see Suzy standing behind her, decked out in the latest designer clothes as usual. Suzy’s expression was condescending, “Don’t go where you’re not wanted, all right?” She patted Eunjung on the head like a little girl and strode to where Myungsoo, JB, Krystal, Jiyeon and Taecyeon were.

Eunjung’s smile faded. But as Suzy made her way towards them, Taecyeon caught sight of her. He paused for a moment, his eyes flickering surreptitiously at his friends. Then he hurried to where she stood, “Hey, Eunjung. I know I haven’t been talking to you as much for the past few months, but I really-”

“Taecyeon-oppa!” Suzy trilled, “What are you doing with her? Come on, we’re all going.” She latched onto his arm, pulling him away. Taecyeon’s face registered impatience, exasperation and frustration, all at once. But as before, he allowed her to pull him away.

Jang Woo’s voice drifted from behind her, “Did you two have an argument?”

Eunjung spun around, “I…no, of course not.”

Jang Woo raised an eyebrow, but just asked, “You want to have lunch together?”

Eunjung hesitated, glancing to where Taecyeon had disappeared. Then she shook her head, “No, I want to go back to class.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taecyeon sat down athis table with his friends. JB and Jiyeon were discussing about whether dancing or singing was more important, while on the other side, Myungsoo and Krystal were bickering as usual. Frowning, he asked, “Where’s Suzy? Where did she disappear to?”

Jiyeon shrugged, “She told us to go on ahead first, cos she had ‘business’ to take care of.”

Myungsoo chuckled, “I bet she found some poor freshmen to torment.”

Taecyeon tried to force a smile, but he had a bad feeling about this. He got up, “I’m going to look for her.”

The others stood as well, “We’ll go with you. Who knows what trouble that girl might have gotten into.”

As Eunjung sat down on her chair, Suzy’s voice spoke from behind her, “Leave him alone.”

Eunjung looked up uncomprehendingly, “What? Who?”

Suzy’s eyes narrowed, “You know what I mean. Stop bothering Taecyeon-oppa. I’ve seen you, following us around and taking photos of him. Stop being such a creepy stalker, Ham Eunjung.”

Eunjung’s face flushed, but she managed to keep her composure, “I knew him way before any of you did, anyway.” She turned to leave.

Suzy’s hand lashed out, grabbing Eunjung’s hair and pulling back viciously. Eunjung cried out in pain as she tumbled backwards. She looked up, and Suzy stepped forward, sneering, “You asked for that, stupid .”

“What are you doing, Suzy?” Myungsoo called. Then he stopped abruptly, “Well, well, what have we here? Hey, guys, it’s Four-Eyes!”

The others joined them, and Taecyeon smile faded suddenly at the sight of Eunjung. JB laughed, “Hey, Four-Eyes, what happened? Tripped over something cos you’re as blind as a bat?”

“Please, Four-Eyes is dumb enough to fall flat on her face even on a flat surface!” Krystal added, bringing about a peal of laughter.

Eunjung’s face was beetroot as she looked up, her eyes meeting Taecyeon’s, a plea for his help.

Taecyeon hesitated. Then, slowly, he turned away.

“Leave Eunjung alone!” Jang Woo shouted as he rushed up to them. Myungsoo turned to him, his expression venomous, “What’s your problem?” He reached out a hand to push Jang Woo, but with lightning-fast reflexes, Jang Woo grabbed Myungsoo’s hand and twisted it. Myungsoo cried out in pain.

JB stepped forward, his voice cold as ice, “You’re not the only one who knows martial arts, Jang Woo-sshi. Let go of Myungsoo before I bash your skull out.”

Jang Woo snorted, then released Myungsoo, “Leave my friend alone and I won’t bother you.” He turned to help Eunjung up. As they were about to leave, Jang Woo glanced at Taecyeon, and his voice was hostile, “I thought you were better than that, Taecyeon-sshi.”

Taecyeon stared after them, as Eunjung hobbled, her body slumped in defeat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taecyeon raised a hand in greeting as he entered the banquet hall, “Hey, JB, Jiyeon!”

JB clapped Taecyeon on the back, “You made it!” He led Taecyeon to the table he was sitting at with Jiyeon, “I’m glad you could come, it’s been really long since any of us have seen you! And I’m sure the bride will be glad to see you, too.”

Taecyeon grinned, “Of course I’d come. I’ve spent the last few years in America wishing I’m in Korea, you know. Hey Jiyeon, you’re getting big.”

Jiyeon sighed dramatically, “I’m seven months’ pregnant, what do you expect?” She shoved JB, who had gotten into his seat beside her, “All thanks to this guy…”

JB grinned cheekily, “Sorry, Mrs Im.”

Taecyeon glanced about, “Where’re the others?”

JB glanced at his watch, “Myungsoo’s picking Krystal up, and Suzy said she’ll be here any minute.”

Jiyeon suddenly perked up, “Look, they’re here.” She pointed at the entrance, where the missing trio had just arrived.

Suzy sat down beside Taecyeon, “It’s been a while, Taec. How’s life in America?”

Taecyeon shrugged, “Pretty much the same. Just more lights, more noise, and taller buildings.”

Suzy laughed, “Might as well have stayed in Korea, then.” She glanced about at the surroundings, “You know, I’m surprised that the bride invited all six of us to her wedding. At least, I thought she’d never invite me.”

Taecyeon’s voice was soft, “She invited all the people who were in our class. And besides, she was never one to hold grudges.”

Myungsoo took a sip of wine, “It’s been a while since we all gathered together, hasn’t it?”

The others murmured in agreement. Taecyeon nudged JB, “You know, I seriously didn’t expect you two to get married first. I thought it would be Krystal and Myungsoo instead!”

All four of them blushed, and Krystal retorted, “As if! We were never as lovey-dovey as the two of them, and they dated each other for longer than Myungsoo and I have, anyway.”

Just then, Jang Woo emerged, looking suave in his white suit. He walked slowly, confidently to the altar, where a priest had emerged, and was waiting. Suzy whispered, “The bridegroom is looking good.”

Mendelssohn’s Wedding March in C Major began to play, as the huge double doors opened fully, revealing Eunjung and her father, their arms locked.

Slowly, the bride began to walk down the aisle. JB’s arm was wrapped tightly around Jiyeon’s as they watched, and everyone wore smiles on their faces.

Taecyeon’s eyes were fixed on the bride, unable to see anything but her. She was beautiful, even more than he had imagined in the millions of times he had thought about her on the flight back. He wanted to leap up and cry out her name, to tell her that he had finally come back. But the words stuck in his throat, and he struggled to fight back the tears welling up in his eyes.

It was too late. Too late to tell her how sorry he was.

Eunjung walked past Taecyeon, not noticing him at all, her gaze fixed on her husband as she smiled radiantly.

And so Taecyeon watched, as Eunjung stepped towards the altar and slipped out of his grasp forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Promise to wait for me no matter what, all right?”

“I promise.”

-----------------------------------------

Hey there, I'm back with a Taejung oneshot for all you Taecjung fans out there!

It's another sad oneshot. Yeah, for some reason i just can't get away from them. Anyway, this oneshot is more about high school life and the changes we go through as we go up. Taecyeon is a bit of a coward here - he likes Eunjung, but he doesn't dare to admit it cos he's afraid he'll lose his popularity because of that, which is why he doesn't defend her at all. And poor Eunjung - she was pleading for his help and he just turned away...Jang Woo's the white knight here, though(anyone else love WGM?)

For JB/Jiyeon/Myungsoo/Suzy/Krystal, i don't know if their personalities are really like that, it's just something i made up. Also, they're kind of a contrast to Taecyeon/Eunjung. Whereas Taecyeon and Eunjung lose hold of their friendship, the five of them remain friends throughout the years, and even remain in their couples(Myungstal and JJ). THey're not really bad people, just that as children they were more immature and more willing to bully others. 

As you might have guessed, this oneshot is inspired by T-ara's bullying scandal. It's also inspired by the movie You Are the Apple of My Eye, and the book Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. Yeah, this oneshot draws inspiration from a lot of other sources.

I was just wondering - do you guys prefer longer oneshots like this one, or shorter oneshots like Lacking Summer and Illusions? Cos i realised my oneshots are kinda, like, way longer than the majority of oneshots out there, so...yeah.

Next oneshot will be Myungzy, so please anticipate it, all you Myungzy fans!

And remember, comment and subscribe!