You Picked Me [1/?]

the story starts when it was cold and it was winter and ―

***

“So Taemin, have you invited anyone to the ball yet?”

It was lunch time and Kim Taeyeon, student body president of Joongdong High School, sat down at her table in the school cafeteria, her eyes still twinkling from her cheerful announcement. In celebration of the Christmas season at Joongdong, all high school students would be invited (“―and by invited, I mean everybody should attend,” Taeyeon helpfully supplied) to the Yuletide Ball, a formal ball that happens only once in three years, which means that high school students only get to attend the ball once in their three years at Joongdong.

Taemin's eyes widened at the question his Jessica-noona directed at him. “But... But, noona, I completely didn't know about this freaking ball!”

Apparently, his whine was too loud because the boys from the other tables gave Taemin looks of pity, the girls looks of disgust.

“It's okay, Taemin. It's your first year here, after all,” Jessica said, her biology textbook rustling as she turned a page. “Don't worry, I'm sure there are many girls out there who would die to have you as their date.”

Taemin opened and closed his mouth in shock for an extended moment, having just thought of the horrifying things which are about to unfold. Yes, noona's right. What if some random girl I didn't even know just asked me and I said no and she'll just cry all over the place and I'll feel guilty and I'll say yes, you can come with me and the Yuletide ball would just be no fun because I'm with some random girl I didn't even know ―

Then the most brilliant of ideas just struck Taemin.

"Noona, has anyone asked you to the ball yet?”

Jessica looked up from her textbook, puzzled. “No, but ―”

“Will you go with me to the Yuletide Ball?” Taemin asked, his heart thumping against his ribcage. Ever since kindergarten, Jessica Jung has always been Lee Taemin's crush, his ideal girl. He's considered being friends with Jessica a lifelong privilege, and sometimes he's wondered why he had never made a move on her. It's because I respect her too much, Taemin thought. And because of Jinki-hyung.

Taemin could feel the warmth rising in his cheeks, but Jessica only stared at him. “You can't be serious.”

“Of course, I'm serious, noona,” Taemin said cheerfully. “Remember what you told me when I gave you flowers and wished you a very merry Christmas when I was 11?” He cleared his throat and mimicked Jessica's bright, high-pitched tone, “'These are beautiful but I can't take them, Taemin-ah. Maybe next time, when you know what it means to give flowers to a girl on December 25.'”

“Yes, but―but,” Jessica stuttered. “I'm with Jinki now, Taemin. It's normal for me to assume that I'm going to the ball with him.”

Taemin clasped his hands together, begging Jessica with his puppy-dog eyes. “But, noona, please? I don't really have anyone in mind, and those girls ―” he shuddered at the recollections he had of girls slipping pink love notes into his locker, girls cheering for him and shouting his name in his soccer games, girls watching him as he walked past them on the school hallways. Creepy girls. Taemin never really liked the attention. “Noona, I can't stand them.” He pouted and blinked a few times at Jessica. “And well, Jinki-hyung hasn't asked you yet, has he? Come on, noona. I promise I'll be fun.”

Jessica glared. “He's like your big brother.”

“Exactly,” Taemin said. “Which is why he won't mind.”

“Oh, he'll mind,” Jessica snapped her textbook shut. “He'll get cranky and become even clumsier because it's going to bother him until ―”

“Until what?”

Taemin almost choked on his soda. Jessica's cheeks started to get tainted with an interesting shade of pink.

Lee Jinki looked back and forth between them, until his eyes settled on Jessica.

“Care to explain what's going to bother me?”

“Nothing!” Jessica said a little too brightly. “Let's just each lunch, alright? What took you so long in the first place?”

“I had to help Jonghyun with his physics homework. Kids these days... You're supposed to make it at home, that's why it's called homework,” Jinki grumbled as Jessica tugged on his arm and made him sit on the chair beside hers. “You're steering clear of the topic. Really, Sica, what's up?”

Jessica only pushed an untouched plate of fried chicken, mashed potato and garlic rice in front of Jinki, while Jinki continued to stare at her, looking suspicious. She started blabbering on about stuff along the lines of “you really should eat a lot, you know. Exams are coming up next week and you need energy to stay up late and study...” all the while shooting murderous looks at Taemin every few seconds.

Taemin looked down at his plate, trying hard not to feel guilty. His noona would feel really bad about rejecting him, Taemin knew. He asked first, and Jessica, or any girl he knew in Korea, actually, had this mentality that whoever asked first should get the privilege of hearing a yes.

So his Jinki-hyung will be left alone. On the day of the Yuletide Ball. With his girlfriend on Taemin's arm.

But his Jinki-hyung was nice and many girls liked him. He was friends with everyone too. Surely, he wouldn't have a hard time looking for someone to bring with him, would he? Besides, it wasn't like Jessica-noona was cheating on him―she was just going to accompany Taemin to a stupid ball.

Jinki-hyung will be alright with it, Taemin concluded. He'll probably be mad for a while, but he's too nice to show it. It'll just pass.

Jessica was babbling next to Jinki and kept on feeding him spoonfuls of food while saying “aaaaaa” to make him open his still half-full mouth. Jinki's irritation was starting to show, and Taemin was beginning to feel a very bad, sinking feeling in his stomach because on normal days, Jessica never spoonfed Jinki.

“Er, noona, hyung's mouth is still full.”

Jessica glared at him.

Jinki pointed a finger at his slightly bulging cheek and murmured an "uh-uh" in agreement.

“You need it, Jinki, you know. You still have choir practice tonight and you need to meet Hyoyeon to finalize the yearbook photos and you still have to make that report about apes with Minho and Taemin-asked-me-to-the-Yuletide-Ball-and-I-have-to-go-with-him.”

Taemin sprayed soda all over the table.

Jinki choked on his food and was coughing incessantly as Jessica rubbed his back, looking horrified and red in the face. She kept mumbling sorry, sorry, Jinki as she helped him to a glass of lemon juice.

“Taemin what?” Jinki spoke finally.

“I'm really sorry, Jinki!” Jessica said, eyes starting to water. “Taemin asked me after Taeyeon reminded everyone of the Yuletide Ball, and he asked me first, and it feels really awful that I can't go with you, but I can't say no to him! It doesn't mean anything, Jinki, I swear!” She raised her right hand, literally swearing. “I really wanted to go with you, Jinki. I really did. It's just...”

Jinki looked crestfallen. “You're... you're going to the Yuletide Ball with Taemin?”

Jessica could only nod sadly. “I'm sorry.” Then she threw her arms at Jinki, who automatically received her in a hug and put his chin on top of her head, all the while still looking bewildered and dumbfounded.

All around them, people were starting to stare. Taemin wished he could just magically disappear.

“Taemin,” Jinki looked like he was still debating in his head whether to get angry at Taemin or feel sorry for himself. “Why did you ask Jessica to the ball?”

Taemin silently prayed that the gods rewind everything and press play again at about twenty minutes ago.

“Hyung...”

Jinki only gave him a deathly stare. "Taemin."

“Is anything wrong in here?”

Jinki and Taemin looked up. Jessica buried her head into Jinki's shoulder.

It was Krystal Jung. Taemin could only smack his forehead with his hand.

“Lee Taemin, is my unni crying?”