Catch me if you can

The University represented a fresh new start for Taeyeon. The first time they went inside the school was back when they were juniors in the Academy. Now that they were actual students, it felt like her life was falling into place and her dreams were well on its way to realization.

The campus had beautiful landscaping and the buildings look clean and well maintained. Taeyeon had not seen the crowd well enough to judge whether or not she’d enjoy spending her free time inside the University. She would find out sooner or later.

Tiffany was reading a pamphlet: ‘Freshman Orientation’. Taeyeon clung to her best friend’s arms as they walked towards the amphitheater. “Do you think we can squeeze time in visiting the cafeteria?”

“Kim Taeyeon, do you plan to be late?” Her friend asked as she scanned the contents of freshman brochure.

Tiffany refused to be a person that is always late. Taeyeon never questioned why she was so uptight about time though. She just kind of knew. So she kept shut even though her mind wondered what kind of food they serve in the food court.

“It says here,” She read. “Arts students have to sit to the right. Everyone else is seated on the center and the left.”

Taeyeon frowned. She had enrolled to major in Broadcast Communication while Tiffany opted to follow her sister’s footsteps, under his father’s influence: Accountancy. Of course, their career choices would mean separation to different departments. But now that they were here, the sudden realization of ‘This is it!’ hits them, and they felt a conflicting source of sadness about it.

“… I’ll meet you at lunch?” Taeyeon said.

Tiffany nodded as she s her hands with her, fingers entwined and entered the building.

Being girls from the province, the amount of students inside the auditorium blew them away. They have not seen this amount of kids their age in one room. It was like twice the number of students in the Academy. They should probably include all of the trees in Jeonju too. Taeyeon guessed that the students inside the orientation were a little under a thousand.

They both bid their goodbyes and headed to their seats. Taeyeon scanned the crowd and checked if there was any competition in the crowd. She had noticed several people that stood out:

Fat cheeks. Fashion terrorist. And Jessica-faced. All of them were really pretty and she tried to observe them one by one.

‘Fat cheeks’ wasn’t really fat, but she had apple cheeks that looked really fun to poke. She was wearing comfortable clothes, just some jeans and a Basic House hooded sweatshirt. Taeyeon didn’t really think she’s would be big when it comes to majors like drama or anything. She looks so introverted. Then again, those are the same kind of people who can write kickass stories; the type that can twist her audience around whilst all she was really doing was playing on words.

‘Fashion terrorist’ was this short haired girl that was a few seats behind Fat cheeks. She was wearing this God awful pair of boots and a turtle neck that didn’t compliment her at all. Taeyeon wasn’t a master like Tiffany when it came to identifying which styles were hip in the market. However, all that color blindness on clothes make up for what she was really into: dancing. She literally floored the others on Harlem Shake!

Lastly, ‘Jessica-faced’ was a girl who looked exactly like her boss. She sat beside the Fashion terrorist but dressed in a manner that stood out, in a good way. Her clothes look branded and well made but she laughed like it was her occupation to react to every joke her friends had. Now that she thought about it, this girl was the opposite of Jessica. Her face wasn’t giving her any icy feelings at all. She was just goofy, which was probably the most horrifying thing you can compare to Jessica Jung.

Just then, Taeyeon felt a tap on her shoulder.

… Jessica?

“I knew it.” She giggled. “Just looking at the way you stand, you’d know its Kim Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon was standing with her legs in spread eagle. She quickly closed the gap in between them and stared at the brown haired girl. She was still speechless. Jessica was she, how old is she?

“Jessika! Ma'am, how…” Taeyeon blurted out, her hands flipping everywhere. “You’re… Uhm. Here?”

“I’m going to major in Public relations.” She pointed at her briefcase. Even at school she’d look like she meant business! Though, when she smiled, it seems like she was just an ordinary college girl. “I’m betting you got Broadcasting though? We’re still in the same line of work, Communications. We might even be classmates.”

“Wait. When were you born again?” Taeyeon asked.

Age. This was usually the first question a Korean would ask a person they’ve just met. But to Kim Taeyeon, her mind had not crossed the idea that Jessica might’ve been younger than her managerial image. It’s not as if she looked older. She just... Acted way ahead of her age.

“April eighteen.” She winked. "But just to cut you the math, I'm turning nineteen next month."

“WHAT THE HELL?” Taeyeon pointed at her. “I used honorifics all the time and you didn’t even tell me that we’re the same age?! What are you, how can… Ugh.”

Jessica gave a high pitched laugh. Taeyeon was seeing her like this for the first time. It wasn’t the kind of sound she made during meetings. It was a full blown chuckle so unlike the held back giggles she had back in the office. She began to think that there might be so much in her boss that she didn’t know.

Jessica grabbed Taeyeon’s arm and led her some empty seats. “C’mon, it’s gonna start soon. We should sit down.”

And Banmal. Another thing Taeyeon needed to get used to.

•••••••

About four hours later, the orientation was over and Tiffany was at the atrium. The food court was too crowded at noon time and everyone was just either getting to know each other awkwardly or sleeping on the benches.

She had texted Taeyeon to meet her but ten minutes had already passed. She was not even rewarded with a single response. She was pacing back and forth near one of the statues.

When I get my hands on her. She thought. ‘I’ll meet you at lunch!’ she says.

She finally sat down and instead pulled her iTouch out. If she would wait for Taeyeon, she can at least enjoy playing games. Her score in Temple Run isn’t gonna break by itself anyway. In the middle of her game, she notices something land on her feet.

It was the same frisbee yesterday.

Oh, God. Why? Tiffany grimaced.

“Mianhamnida!” Taecyeon’s familiar voice rang through Tiffany’s ears. “Mianhamnida!”

When they saw each other though, Taecyeon just stopped and grinned. “Oh, American girl!”

Just die. Just die. Just die. Tiffany hid her thoughts in a warm smile. “Hi.”

Taecyeon picked up his frisbee and sat beside her. “Nice to see you! So, you study here? That’s great!”

And Tiffany just can’t believe her bad luck.

•••••••

Sunny made sure that she won’t be captured on the University’s security cameras. Her red Adidas cap and Ray-Ban aviators covered most of her face. She was wearing long sleeved clothes to cover her bruises, but they weren’t as deep purple as before, some of them were turning dark yellow.

It was a sign that her body was slowly healing from Jinkyu’s aggression three nights ago. She supposed that her heart might take longer to adjust to the sudden loss of her only family but then again when the rest of her family died; she had lost reason to live as well.

She existed, physically; but she felt hallow and lifeless each morning. She was only alive when she slept because it was the time she can talk to her Umma and Appa. It was the time that Eunkyu got between Jinkyu and Sunny when she bullied her. She envisioned her family to be there with her, in the comforts of her dreams.

Given the chance, she wanted to spend more time with them. Sunny was a very shy girl to begin with. If there was a visitor, she would hide in her room. If she was taken to the Park, she would play games on her Nintendo. Most importantly, if they would have a family picture, she would either cover her face or jump out of the shot completely.

This was the reason for her interest in cameras. She wanted her own world but in her constant daydreaming; she forgot her reality. She abused the little things in life and in the end; she had to pay for not appreciating what God has given her. She wasn't going to let anything slip by her again. All the beautiful things in the world, she wanted to capture it, never to be forgotten.

It was just like the butterfly the other day. It had just shed its cocoon and its wings were only starting to produce a powdery white aura. Sunny photographed it. That butterfly will live for a few weeks at the most, but she will be remembered as the beautiful ballerina that sprung to life the moment it flapped its wings.

Beauty, captured.

She had wished someone had done this for her. So she can see who she was before, a memory that was clear and full of evidence. Unlike her memories that played tricks with her, memories that were vague and full of lies…

Concrete. She tapped her heels on the ground. She was expecting to hear the cold marble floor but instead she heard a light, squishy sound. Soil? She had been walking around lost in thought that she had reached the University’s atrium without realizing it.

Well, there should be no cameras in here. She thought as she pulled her cap off and hid it inside her bag but she kept her sunglasses on, just in case. She savored how the cool spring air welcomed her new short blonde hair. It felt refreshing, like she a totally different person. However, she shouldn’t forget the reason she was here. Sunny took out her phone and flicked through the apps on her Optimus. She took a self camera of her new hair, and then started to type a message.

SuperBunny: Sicachu, get your here.
I’m at the Atrium.

Gorjess: Go away.

SuperBunny: I’m gonna post ‘that’ picture of you.
Who has bigger s now~

Gorjess: YOU OVERGROWN PAIR OF LIP.
              Don’t post that picture.
              I mean it. I’ll break your hand in two.

Sunny chuckled but knew her friend will come for her. She knew Sica would take another fifteen minutes to figure out how to get here, and then another fifteen to walking around blindly in the open, so decided to kill time…

Sunny pulled her Canon out and dropped her bag on the grass. College life, huh? She looked around, trying to see if it was really worth skipping the experience of attending school. She scanned the area for a subject.

Naturally, there were lovers scattered around the grassland. There weren’t many bushes that insects can hide on and the trees littered the campus had just started populating their branches with blots of green. It provided little to no shade from the sun.

She was starting to get bored when she noticed a red frisbee zooming back and forth. Sunny was drawn near it. It was a group of boys that she can identify as models. Their bodies were toned in such a way that clothes would hug them perfectly.

She removed her aviators to get a better look. Oh wow, if it isn’t Nichkhun! She snickered as she took a candid photo of him catching the frisbee on air. He had to jump to catch it. It frustrated her that she couldn’t get a picture of him in a way that did not compliment his model image. Every side of his face had poise. It was annoying for her to look at.

Nichkhun handed the toy to a blonde boy. They appeared to be on the same team. He signaled something to another member before his teammate tossed it, but then a strong wind broke the trajectory and the frisbee was caught by a tall boy. It looked like he was so excited to grab on to it that when he intended to lift it up in the air, he had accidentally thrown it backwards!

Sunny roared in laughter, only for a secord. She ducked her head so the men would have to see her face. She didn’t want her cover blown. She counted ten seconds before looking up. Nichkhun and the others were throwing random things at the tall boy’s epic ‘failness’.

She decided to wear her cap and snap a few more pictures. Boys are so carefree compared to girls. I’m jealous. She continued to monitor them. They were already goofing around. They seem to be talking an online game that had just come out. All they do is play. They’re playing life on easy mode!

Sunny noticed the tall man took a long time before he came back with the frisbee on hand. He was waving it around and the boys resumed their play.

By this time, Sunny had picked up the scent of something better than the trivial friendship of men. She was curious as to what the boy had been up to. She packed up and moved, ensuring that no one had noticed her presence as she hid behind the vine covered pillars of the veranda.

What was so much better than playing around with Nichkhun, boy?

And there she was, wrapped in exquisite layers of fabric. She had a white coat on and when she adjusted her seating position, Sunny briefly saw a wild burst of colors underneath. She immediately aimed her Canon and took numerous photos of what seems to be a Goddess in its natural habitat.

Though her lens, she can feel the girl’s long red hair running through her fingers; the warmth of her smile as she played with her Apple. She can even taste the rough façade of cotton that ran from her hips down to her legs. Sunny eased her head closer, clicking as she went.

She was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen! And this should tell her something, because she was with powerful people and beautiful models all the time; but nothing has excited her this much before. How her heart pounded at the sight of this angel that somehow got lost on Earth; or how every part of her being twitched each time she blinked; or how her head was hurting because she had been hit by something that she had never expected to come in her life.

When she saw the girl lift her head, Sunny immediately hid behind the column and held her breath. She had a lot of practice on stalking people, so she was sure she wasn’t caught. When she poked her head back, the other girl’s focus was back on her iTouch.

She had never felt this rush before. She could scale trees, or sit in front of a leap on skateboard competitions but this was a different source of excitement, something that made her break sweat despite her almost lifelong experience with cameras.

Lee Sunny, did you just fall in love? She asked herself.

She looked through the pictures that she already took. Every feature of the girl's body was perfect. She wandered into the photos as her mind embedded the captions in her mind.

Love, captured.