Scene 2: Take My Hand, Alice
Take 1 or Nothing at All
I wake up with the sun shining in my room. The large king size bed with the leather quilted head board and white 3000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets felt like I was sleeping on a large puffy cloud. I stretch and wipe the sleep out of my eyes and make my way to the balcony. I open up the doors and smell the Seoul air. I guess with the small forest towards the end of the estate's grounds keeps the air fresh smelling with pine and a hint of cherry blossoms that fill the outline of the garden and pool side below.
"Those cherry blossom trees were planted by me and Luhan about 4 years ago. They are my favorite part of the grounds. When the wind picks up the blossoms are carried over to the waterfall and land in the pool. It feels good swimming in the heated pool with the smell of cherry blossoms in the air and the pink petals tickling your skin."
"I didn't think you'd be, so, poetic." I look towards my right, Jongin is standing a few feet away from me also on the shared balcony overlooking the grounds. He has a bit of bed hair and he looks even stunning in the morning as he did last night. Is it wrong to feel, something, for him? It's not like we are blood related or anything. I touch my heart as I feel it escalating slightly watching the wind pick up and tousle his hair a bit. He smiles at me and I look away pretending to watch Ghost running around in the grounds playfully with their large white cat.
"What I said, was poetic?" Jongin asks me. "Was it romantic as well?" I look at him again and I awkwardly scratch my head and before I know it he is standing right next to me.
"Your cat, that's a large cat, I mean, for a house cat." I think I made a bit of sense there.
"She's a Norwegian Forest cat, a large fluffy breed. Her name is Snow." After a short pause, Jongin speaks again. "You better get ready for school. I will go ahead and take a shower first, have breakfast downstairs." He leaves the balcony and enters back into his room. He keeps the door wide open and I naturally move to peek inside. He removes his white sleeping shirt and throws it over his chair. He slips out of his pajama bottoms and I realize that the sun kissed him all over. I part my lips anticipating the removal of his boxers, but he enters the bathroom and disappears from my sight. I lean against the wall. What is happening to me? Why am I feeling like this towards that boy? A crush is forming as massive as this house, this estate…
A knock on my door gets me moving again and I try to remove those thoughts of Kim Jonginn from my mind. Sehun greets me with his uniform already on.
"Hyung, check out my backpack!" He turns around and shows me a large sky blue MCM backpack. "This is an original, do you know how much these are? Over 800 U.S. dollars Hyung!"
"Calm down. I have one too, a white one." I point to it. My style is the classic one, with 6 studs on the front. His has the three rows of studs along the main zipper.
"Luhan-hyung has a beige one like yours."
"You are happy aren't you Sehun. The new things we have, the house, your new, should I call them brothers?"
"Not brothers, friends."
"You like him don't you?" I .
"He attends university already. A first year student."
"What? He isn't the same age as you?! He looks so young."
"Jongin is the same age as you, well I think like 6 months younger but the same grade. That's why you have a cardigan under your jacket while I have a sweater vest. This determines I am a grade level below yours."
"What school are we attending again?"
"Seoul Arts."
"An art school? We didn't even go through the recruiting process for that. People will know."
"Hyung, relax. Mr. Kim told me at breakfast that we will have an audition, but regardless of how we do, we should get in."
"That's exactly what I don't want. Sehun I've never been popular, nor do I expect to be now, but being a sort of, parachute, in the school will definitely get me noticed in a bad way."
"Then sing."
"What?"
"Then show off with your voice, if not your piano skills." Sehun said it so nonchalantly. "Your voice is amazing hyung, why hide it?"
"Because I get embarrassed that's why."
"Then we need to change that." A husky voice from behind us say. We turn around and I see Kai with semi-dry hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. There goes my heart again.
"Hyung, your mouth is open." Sehun whispers behind me and smiles awkwardly at Jongin.
"I entered Seoul Arts for my dancing skills, but with my dad being an owner of an entertainment agency that focuses on actors more so than dancers, I began taking acting classes as well. Teachers realized I was a natural."
"What's your point?" I didn't mean to sound irritated.
"My point is. If you've got talent in singing, then enter the academy that way. Don't be a parachute. Do you know how many kids play the piano and think they can get into Seoul Arts with just that talent? A lot. And they don't enter, unless you are very good. Not that I doubt your skills. I would assume that baby grand piano sitting on the corner of your room was placed by my father who knew that about you. But if you can sing, Byun Baekhyun, and I mean, really sing, then pave your own way into Seoul Arts."
"You don't normally talk a lot Jonginnie. Ever since Baekhyun arrived you've been awfully chatty with him." Luhan enters the room with his preppy attire.
Jongin laughs at his brother's remark, "What can I say, Lu, this boy intrigues me like no other." I cough because that's all I can get myself to do from hearing that statement.
"If you are done, I will go ahead and take my shower now."
"Sure thing. Just don't lock my side of the bathroom, I need to fix my hair." Jongin leaves my room through the bathroom.
"Wait, I need to shower though."
"That's fine, shower, just don't lock the doors."
"But I'll be, um, I'll be-"
"Baekhyun, will you be uncomfortable with me in the bathroom while you shower?" Jongin is standing very close to me and I can see a drop of water fall from his hair to his neck to his chest and slides down his abs before being absorbed by the towel. I tried not to look, but it was pretty obvious and Jongin knew that. He takes my hand and brings me into the shower. "Press this button and the shower glass doors become shaded. I won't see a thing, I promise." He winks and leaves the bathroom. Luhan and Sehun leave my room and Sehun yells for me to hurry up so we can get to school early.
I finish quickly and I peek to make sure Jongin isn't standing in front of his side of the walled mirror in the bathroom. I wrap my towel around my waist and run out the bathroom shutting the door. The balcony door is still wide open and I run over to it to shut it close and draw the curtains closed also. I run back to the bathroom and lock the door. But how does that work. He can still enter my room right? Through the bathroom, regardless of it being locked. It only locks from inside. I push my small love seat next to the bathroom door so Jongin doesn't enter while I change. Who's idea was it to have shared bathrooms between us? I change into my uniform and the fit is perfect. I can't believe that this is a school uniform, it's so well tailored and the materials are soft and moveable. I move the love seat back to its original position and enter the bathroom slowly. Jongin is standing in front of the mirror fixing his hair. He quickly places it away from his face loosely and puts on oil of olay over his face. He washes his hands and wipes it dry on the small hand towel. He neatly places the hand towel back on its handle and turns to look at me with a half-smile.
"You almost ready? You better eat breakfast before we leave." He leaves the bathroom and disappears from my sight again. Why is it that when he leaves I feel a bit depressed from it? Like, it's as if I don't want to be alone. I don't want him to leave me. Who is this Kim Jongin? And why does he make my heart feel so uneasy?
After a good breakfast, Mr. Kim tells us about our auditions and interviews at Seoul Arts. Jongin will take us to the recruitment office and by lunch time we should be enrolled in our classes officially.
"How do you know that we'll be accepted, Mr. Kim?"
"Baekhyun, I sent the school videos of you singing."
"What!" I look at my mom who is acting shy. "Omma! What videos?"
"Remember when we went out for norabang last month?"
"You sang a lot of ballads then, haha! That's awesome mom." Sehun laughs.
"They've also seen you dance Sehun, they have a copy of the school's showcases you performed in and the dance contests that you won."
"That was only two dance contests. And there wasn't much competition."
"So if they accept us, it is legit, it is honest, we aren't some parachutes because of your connections?"
"Of course not. My son is the class president of that school. He's very well known due to his academics and good standing. I am not going to have a scandal like forcing two untalented boys to be accepted. Plus, I've seen those videos. You two are talented, and I am not saying that because I love your mom here." They hold hands and smile at each other.
"Dad, we better get going."
"Ah, that's right. Your new car is parked outside and ready. Luhan, your Acura has been detailed and waxed and parked outside as well. You boys be careful driving to school. Come home straight after your classes." We all bow to Mr. Kim.
"Kai, what kind of car do you drive?"
"You'll see."
I walk with Luhan to the garage. The garage is ten times larger than our apartment and filled with all kinds of sports and luxury cars. Of course, it should be like this. Their entire household is massive, remember?
Sehun is running around admiring the cars. "Is it this white Range Rover?" Jongin nods his head no. "This is a Ferrari! Don't tell me that's yours?" Jongin nods no also. "The Audi!?" We exit the garage which has 6 garage doors fully opened and two staff members greet us. One hands the car keys to Jongin, the other hands the car keys to Luhan. Luhan approaches his red Acura NSX. "Luhan-hyung, your car is beautiful!"
He laughs. "Sehun, you are riding with me. I'll drop you off."
"Seriously!?" He places his bag in Luhan's car when he sees something that causes his eyes to widen too much. "You've got to be kidding me!" Sehun stands at the nose of Jongin's car. A deep mahogany red Acura NSX Roadster. "This is the car that Tony Stark drove in the Avengers!"
"It's still a concept car and not in the market. But my godfather is the president and owner of Acura and it was an early birthday gift. Get in Baekhyun."
"I am afraid to scratch it."
"Get in, pup." Jongin enters the car with a a slight smirk. He helps me with the seatbelt. "You need to stop being so adorable." He nudges my skin with a closed fist, softly.
"What are you talking about?" I scoff, blushing. "I'm not doing that." Kai just laughs, buckles his belt, and starts the car. The Roadster is purring like a tiger. I smile as widely as Sehun did when he saw all the fancy sports cars.
"Sometimes, Baekhyun, you should simply enjoy this new life of yours."
"Eh?"
"You aren't Cinderella."
"I don't get what you're saying, Kai."
"All this isn't going away. There is no fairy godmother. This is all yours and Sehun's as much as it is mine and Hyungs."
"So Alice then?" I laugh out loud and he smiles at me. He's very handsome. I get back my train of thought. Alice was led to a fantastical land. "It's hard to just accept all this as easily as Sehun has. When you haven't had a lot and then now you do, it's just, still unreal, like a fantasy, you know?"
"I gotcha." Jongin stops at the gate, right behind Luhan's car. I can feel him staring at me. "If you want anything, just ask me, Baekhyun."
"Ah, um, sure thing, Kai."
"You'll be calling me Jongin soon." He shifts his gear to drive.
"Kai is a cool name too." I say laughing for a bit.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, I do." I honestly do think it's a cool name just like your chic charisma which seems to ooze out of you very easily.
"It would be nice if you come up with a nickname for me too, pup." He winks at me and I know I am blushing so I look away pretending to be distracted by something outside.
We arrive to the school and we see Sehun waving goodbye to Luhan who plans on picking him up after school.
"What are you thinking about?" Kai is parking the car at the student lot in a space marked Campus President.
"Wouldn't you think it'd be more practical for Sehun to ride with us, maybe take a car with more than two seats, that way Luhan-hyung won't need to go out of his way to drive Sehun to school and pick him up everyday."
"Then I won't be able to drive my baby." At first I thought he was referring to me. I am his baby? He pouts cutely and hugs the staring wheel. I laugh at my wrong interpretation.
"Just something to think about then." I get out of the car and Sehun waits for us by the steps. He stands as tall as Kai and his boyish good looks make him stick out like a soar thumb. Many are passing by and whispering to each other about the cool new kid standing by the entrance of the school's main building. I meet up with Sehun and he looks at me with all smiles. I adjust his tie, he sloppily put it together.
"How's mine?" Kai asks standing right behind me. I turn around and adjust his slightly for it was creeping out of his sweater. He stares down at me with a smug smirk. And he as soon as I remove my hands from his tie, he runs two fingers over my ear and smiles at me. "You need a haircut, Baekhyun."
"Well, let's get going. Aren't you going to be late for class, Kai?" I ask trying to distract him from seeing my flushed face.
"I told my father I'd send you to the recruiting office, and that's what I'll do. Follow me." Kai passes a bunch of girls who hands him a box of chocolates and he takes it kindly. Other girls are taking photos from their phones. Kai bows and smiles to them.
"Kai, hello." A petite secretary looks up from her desk. "Are these your brothers?"
"That's right. They just moved into my house yesterday. Take care of them Luna." Kai winks and the girl lets out a sigh and stares at Kai's when he turns to face us. "Luna here will show you to the headmaster's office and the admissions counselor. I'll come by around noon to get you two for lunch."
"Thanks Kai." Sehun introduces himself to the secretary who finally stops staring at Kai's behind.
"I'll see you later, pup." Kai smiles at me and also gives me a wink. Must be his signature thing which I am getting used to now after seeing him do the same to the secretary in front of us and the fan girls in the hallway.
After 3 hours of interviewing, testing, and auditioning to determine which class we would be placed in, the morning finally ended and my tummy begins to growl out of hunger. It was already growling at 10:30 but Luna was nice enough to satiate our hunger by giving us some of her cheese sticks she was eating. I guess she did what Kai asked her to, take care of us.
"I like her, she's sweet." I say to Sehun.
"Hey, hyung, what do you think about Kai?" We were left alone at the lobby just outside of the headmaster and the recruiting office. Classes haven't been dismissed yet for lunch so the main halls were empty as we sat waiting for the bell and then found ourselves walking about.
"What are you talking about?"
"Did you see all his fangirls? He is really popular."
"Yup. He sure is."
"Hyung, he's really good looking. You should-"
"Stop Sehun. Don't say a word."
"But Hyung, you share a bathroom with him." He whispers loudly.
"So what? Is that supposed to be invitation for me to date him?"
"Date? I was thinking more like fall in love already."
"Sarang?!" I whisper loudly this time. "I just met the boy yesterday. Plus he's rude, I am older than him, he should be calling me Hyung, not pup."
"You are cute like a puppy." Sehun pinches my cheeks.
"I am still older than both of you."
"You don't feel anything for him?" Sehun looks at me with prying eyes.
"Of course I do. He's very attractive."
"So you are just going to let that opportunity go?" Before I can respond Sehun goes on his rant. "Hyung, you've never had a significant other before. You've never allowed yourself to feel anything for anyone. Ever since dad died you've been such a loner."
"Alright you're done."
"I'm just saying, maybe Kai-hyung can get you out of your shell."
"So now it's about becoming less introverted and no longer about falling in love with my neighbor?"
"Well it can be both. I guess. I just actually lost my train of thought."
"I'll be fine. Jongin, or rather, Kai, won't even acknowledge us once we get settled in our new school."
"Why wouldn't he?"
"He's got his own situations and what not. I plan to go to school, graduate, and then go to university and graduate and then get a job."
"How boring." Kai! Sehun and I turn around from the railing that overlooks the auditorium where our walk ended up at. Shoot, how much did he hear? "Is that what you want out of your life? School, graduation, job?"
"Those aren't bad things to want." I pretend that he didn't hear anything before that. I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulders.
"Let's go to lunch boys." Kai turns around and we follow naturally. I follow a few steps back while Kai asks Sehun how the interviews went. Sehun shows him his schedule. He stops and looks at me. He takes his hand out and I am frozen. I slowly place my hand in his hand. Is this what he wants? To hold my hand? Daebak.
My first attempt at writing a love story about my two most favorite members of EXO, Kai and Baekhyun. Luhan, my other EXO bias appears as well :)
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