CHAPTER 3

CHRISTMAS EVE AND JI WON’S NEW CLASSMATE

Christmas Party…

Genie High…

The giant Christmas tree was already set up in the Genie High’s Great Hall, the Santa’s belongings, reindeers sleigh rides, sparkle presents… were everywhere, they made it ready for the biggest Christmas party of all time…. The cheerful melody of Boney M’s Feliz Navidad were tagging along with the eager footsteps of those Genie High’s school boys flooded into the decorated garden and the Great Hall’s lobby. The school buys looked very excited and the eagerness could be seen on their faces. This year, the School Board decided to make the party as an openly one, they allow the boys to invite their partner from the other schools for the first time in many years… As a result, the party atmosphere were now extremely encouraged and fresher than ever…

But there was still someone who was left alone…

Seung Ri was melancholy walking around the corner of the Party’s main gate. He saw his hoobaes were hand in hand with their girlfriends, it hurt his heart… Ji Won said she wouldn’t come, because she had a prescheduled event that needed her presence. After the allowance from the School Board was announced, he knew that the boys would grabbed their very first chance to invite their girlfriends to come, and he did try, but it seemed like he would be the only one who had to dance alone by himself tonight.

He gasped seeing Hyun Woo in his well – tailored black tuxedo, Hyun woo were running to his direction… Seung Ri tried to faked a weak smile and, seemed like that smile was truly weak so that Hyun Woo ran over him without noticing his presence… He opened a black car’s door and a beautiful young lady immerged…

“Oh my! This girl… woo, so beautiful, just less than my Ji Won a little bit… These guys are too smart…” – He thought, the bittersweet came through his throat…

• Seung Ri sunbae – hyun Woo shouted his name in eagerness before he could sneaked out of the spot to avoid those kind of question like “Really? Ji Won won’t come today, will she? Bla bla…” – Seung Ri hardly turned around and faked his happiest smile…

• Where’s Ji Won?

• Shoot! Got ya silly Seung Ri… – Seung Ri mumbled silently, then he looked at the girl smiling – This is…

• My friend, Da Hae… Uhm… Da Hae ah, this is Seung Ri sunbaenim. He’s Kim Ji Won’s boyfriend, you know her, right? – Hyun Woo swiftly introduced…

• Annyeonghaseyo sunbaenim, I’m Da Hae, nice to meet you!

• Oh, annyeonghaseyo…

• We’re going in sunbae, it’s too cold outside, I don’t want Da Hae to catch a cold… Woops, it’s really cold here… Don’t mind us, you just stay here to wait for Ji Won, huh? See you later sunbae…

• Oh…- Seung Ri didn’t have a chance to say anything, the two love birds were going far away… - He mumbled… - Christmas? What kind of Christmas is it? What on earth has a guy like me? A guy who has his birthday today? – now this young man were totally mad…

........................................

• Ya, Choi Min Ho? Where’s your girlfriend? We thought that you would bring her along?

• …

• Hey, what’s up Min Ho, don’t tell us that you are dumbed one more time? – Kwang Hee poked him, tried to play with his temper…

• She’s not here, she is celebrating the holidays with her family! – Min Ho softly smiled, but there was jealousy in his eyes, seeing the others boys came in the hall with their girls… The hall was more crowded and now full of happy couples acting lovey dovey all the time. Later on, the couples would have ball room dances together, Min Ho thought he would dance with Seung Ri sunbae, Ji Won told him she couldn’t come…

“What’s she doing? I miss her so much… like I’m going to be crazy because of missing her. If it wasn’t about the sudden entrance exam and father’s business travel, I would come there to spend the holidays with her… But, this girl, what kind of girlfriend is she? It’s been 1 week she doesn’t call, no messages, no emails too, even no Christmas greeting form her… At least she just left a message and said “Merry Christmas” to me… Yesterday I even announced it on the live talk show… but there wasn’t any response… Aishhhhh, this girl…” – Min Ho signed

• OPPA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Min Ho turned his head to the side that hilarious voice coming from… It was Ji Won, she was on her way running to his direction, she look like a doll in that bubbling red princess – like dress… Ji Won kept on waving and calling his name out…

• Ya , Kim Ji Won, you had told me that you wouldn’t come… Where’s Seung Ri sunbae?

Ji Won pouted her lips cutely, pretending to be mad – Weo? I said that I wouldn’t come, so now I don’t have right to come here once I finished my schedule? I didn’t come with Seung Ri oppa, I come with my friend!

• Yay ya, Kim Ji Won, don’t play around here… it’s not Halloween for  you to play treat or trick… Where’s Seung Ri sunbaenim?

• Aigooo, told ya! I came with my friend! My friend has just gone to the restroom! Aish, wait, let me get my phone call first… “Oh, done? Ok, just come here, I’m in already… Woops, it’s cold outside, just come in her… Yeah, right… Can you see the silver Christmas tree in the middle? No, no, it’s not he giant tree at the right side of the main stage… Ok, just come here, hurry up…” – Ji Won hang up her phone, she turned to looked up to Min Ho – Did you receive Christmas gift from her? I’ve got her gift yesterday… What did she give you?

• Uh… Oh… I… - Min Ho was empty – minded to answer Ji Won’s sudden wonder… He was opened his mouth to find the best answer then here came something in the Hall that swallowed his attempt… Some kind of buzzing sounds widespreaded all over the hall, the young boys and girls were curiously whispering and pointing at the hall’s entrance… People seemed to automatically splited into two rows…

• Who is that?.... – They buzzed…

A tall young lady, with her short brown hair curving the white milky pretty face in a white off – one- sleeve dress and a white flower on her hair… was standing at the entrance way of the hall. She smiled shyly… slowly stepped in the room, through many young curious eyes…

• Who is she?

• Who’s that girl????

• Wow, she’s so beautiful….

• Just like a princess… a princess in her wedding…

• …

• Hey! Hey! Hey! I’m here… Over here!!! – Ji Won happily called out for the girl, waving her hands furiously, she turned aside to met up with Min Ho’s eyes which were now getting wider – See? I told ya, I’m coming with my friend! That’s my friend, pretty, right? She has just moved in from US for a week, she enrolled in Erin High as a transferred student. She’s my new classmate…

Min Ho almost froze at his stand, he couldn’t believe his own eyes… “Short brown hair, smiling eyes… that smile… but… White dress? White flower on her hair? And… and those high heels?... It… it’s Sulli, it’s Ssul, it’s her… Sulli is in Genie High, but she is her… I mean… Sulli is her… And… and Erin High? Ji Won said that she moved to Erin from US? Sulli? She went back to Seoul?...” – A lot of questioning flashed through his now messy and mixed up mind….

Sulli smiled. She looked around, there were still those lovely faces, there’re still her lovely buddy boys. She could easily realized and called out their names, did they still remember her… Ah, no, could they realize it’s her? In her true self now? A girl?

Min Ho stood still in his shoes…

Then suddenly he ran furiously ahead, to the place that pretty girl was standing.

In this moment, he didn’t need to care about anything else, he allowed himself to be guided by his heart. The buzzing talk from the others in the hall was immediately stopped when Min ho approached the girl in the white dress and hugged her tightly in his arms. There was only the melody of Shinee’s Dazzling Girls still echoing over the big hall…

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming back? Do you miss me that much, Choi Sulli?” – Min Ho whispered softly to her ear…