F I R S T   D A T E S

Jishin Academy is a prestigious, co-ed private school located in Gangnam, Seoul.  The grade levels range from kindergarten to senior high students.  The Academy only accepts students that can afford to pay the expensive tuition, and in return, these students receive the best education possible in all of South Korea.

“Mimi-yah!” Kyungmi heard a voice yell as she entered through the currently opened gates that guarded Jishin Academy.  Only one person called her by that name, so she anticipated the hug that had come next.

“Mimi-yah!” Taemin shouted once again, running up to the brunette and giving her a bear hug.  “I missed you!”

“Taemin-ah, it’s only been two days,” Kyungmi giggled at her friend’s cute antics as she referred to the weekend, fixing her black-framed glasses that rested upon her nose.

He just smiled back cutely at her, still interlocked in the hug.

Lee Taemin was Kyungmi’s first friend when she moved to Seoul from Busan.  Their parents knew each other from way back and had introduced the two to each other, hoping that they would be the best friends they are now.

He’s a head taller than Kyungmi and has a shy smile that makes him look sweeter than he already does.  His pale features go well with his long caramel-brown hair, and he has a baby face that makes anyone want to treat him like a child, pinching his cute chubby cheeks.  But despite his adorable looks, he is fierce and y when it came to dancing.  He is the well-known flower boy at JSA.

“Yah!  I keep telling you to call me oppa,” he pouted, letting go of Kyungmi and stomping his foot for effort.

“No,” she stuck her tongue out playfully.  “You’re only a couple months older than me, so there’s no reason to.”

She walked down one of the pathways that lead to the entrance of the school’s main building.  Taemin was right at her side and they made their way through the locker-filled and student-infested hallway.

“So you want to do something after school?” Taemin asked as they stopped at their lockers that were right next to each other, located outside of their homeroom.  “I heard there’s a new Johnny Depp movie out over the weekend.”

Kyungmi wished she could say yes; she really loved hanging out with Taemin (and Johnny Depp was her favorite actor), but she forced herself not to stutter out of nervousness for lying as she said, “Sorry, Taem-ah.  You know how much my parents make me study.”

Stupid Kim Jonghyun; it’s all his fault.

“Oh, right.  I understand,” he said nonchalantly, trying to hide his disappointment.

Kyungmi sighed when she saw her best friend’s sad expression.  She thought about it for a second and came to a decision.

“How about I buy you some ice cream tomorrow after school to make up for it?” she offered.

Taemin’s face brightened instantly.  “You promise?”  He held out his pinky finger.

“Promise,” she said, intertwining her finger with his.

“What’s up, guys?” a deep voice said from behind Kyungmi.

“Hey, Minho-hyung,” Taemin greeted him first.

The star athlete at the Academy, Choi Minho is the captain of the soccer team with his muscular and toned body.  When he is in game mode, not only does he win all of the soccer games, he also wins the hearts of the girls who watch him play.

His short black hair makes him appear older than he really is, and he has a cold exterior.  But some people know him for who he really is: a fun and caring friend who likes to keep up with his manly image, although he can’t help but to show some aegyo once in a while.

“How’d the soccer game go, Oppa?” Kyungmi asked him, nudging him in the arm with her elbow.  “Beat them up like usual?”

“Hey!” Taemin interrupted.  “Why do you call him oppa and not me?”

“Because he’s a year older than us,” Kyungmi answered pointedly.  Minho was a senior like the rest of them, but he started school late since his birthday was in December.

Taemin huffed, looking away.

“Oh, where’s Jinri-ah?”  Kyungmi noticed they were missing a member of their group.

“Right here,” another voice sang.

Choi Jinri is a strong-willed and independent person.  She goes for anything she wants and won’t give up until she has it.  She can stand her own in a fight, not with fists, but with words.  She has a hard time warming up to new people, but once they’re good friends, she’ll always have that person’s back.

She is the taller than the average, and she is also more talkative.  She has long dark curls with multi-color strands that are randomly placed throughout her hair and she always has her nails painted.

Jinri walked up to the group, smiling widely at them all.  Minho reached for her hand and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

“Get a room, you two,” Kyungmi joked, walking past the two and into her homeroom with Taemin in tow.  Minho and Jinri rolled their eyes before following.

--

“That stupid, dino,” Kyungmi complained to herself, standing in front of her floor-length mirror in her walk-in closet.

Once Kyungmi got home from school, she proceeded to get ready for her date with Kim Jonghyun.  She changed into a black, A-line styled dress with black stockings and a pair of black high heels.  She had a simple choker-necklace wrapped around her neck.

“Extensions,” she started her checklist on the disguise she used to differentiate Jang Kyungmi and Karina Song.  “Contacts, bracelet,” she said, her hand cover the silver chain around her wrist.  It was one of a kind that her manager got specially made just for her; the silver Hangeul on it read “Star Jewel Karina”, the name she was dubbed with for her beauty and charm.

After fixing her makeup and fluffing her wavy hair one last time, she grabbed her clutch purse and beige coat before walking out of her room.

“Where am I taking you, Kyungmi-ssi?” her driver asked, opening the door to the backseat of the car.

“Quasimodo Hotel,” she responded, seating herself comfortably in the backseat.  She was underage and couldn’t drive, so her parents hired a chauffeur to take her anywhere she needed to go.  A lot of rich kids her age had one.

But this one was in on her secret.

He got out and opened the door again once he stopped outside of the big and fancy hotel in downtown Seoul.  “I’ll be back to pick you up at ten, Karina-ssi.”

Three hours.  It was now seven and she’d have to spend three hours alone with Kim Jonghyun.

“I can take her home, Ahjussi.”  Kyungmi heard him speak before she saw him.

“My driver will take me back home,” Kyungmi said sharply, turning around to face the man whom she was on a date with.

Jonghyun just gave his signature smirk before holding out his arm for Kyungmi to take.

Reluctantly taking him up on his offer, she could already feel the eyes of some of the bystanders nearby who already begun to recognize her and Jonghyun.

She let him lead her inside and to the restaurant, and they both followed the waitress to their table near the back for their privacy.

The two haven’t spoken since they were by Kyungmi’s car, and Kyungmi had a small hope that maybe it would stay that way the rest of the night.

Of course, she had to be wrong.

“So how was school?” Jonghyun asked, staring at her face for a reaction.  He smirked once again when Kyungmi pointedly ignored him and read through her menu.

“Rina-yah,” he started to say before being cut off by the younger girl.

“Will you stop calling me that?” she snapped, looking away from her menu and up at Jonghyun’s face.

He smirked again.  “Tell me your real name then.”

“Karina Song,” she said, even though she knew that wasn’t what he meant.

The male model raised an eyebrow as if saying, “Seriously, you think I’m going to believe that?”  But before he could actually say it aloud, the waitress came by to take their orders.

Once the waitress went away, Kyungmi hoped that Jonghyun forgot about the matter, but once again, she had to be wrong.

“You know, even if I have to do research myself, I’ll figure out the name you really go by and who you really are.”

--

[posted: 06.23.13]