“Have you heard about the shop down Dark Street?”, Miyoung asked her friend excitedly while jumping in her seat. “Are you talking about Exotics? The shop owned by a vampire that will beautify any girl that enters?”, Ailee, her friend, replied with a question and excitement on par with Miyoung’s.

“Vampire?”, Jieun thought as she shook her head at her classmates gossips. “There’s no such thing as vampires. They’re mythical beings created by our imaginations to pass the time.”, she told herself as she pushed her glasses up and refocus on the textbook she was reading.

Jieun is the average girl you see in school. She’s neither ugly nor pretty. However, she’s in the top 5 based on grades, so she’s really smart. So far, she has knowledge on 5 languages; Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, and Malay, and she’s starting on her sixth language French! She loves studying and learning new things; that’s her hobby.

“Alright, everyone settle down and turn to page 146 of your textbook.”, Mrs Ang instructed after entering the class as everyone obeyed.

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Ding Dong~

At the sound of the school bell, everyone got up and headed for the cafeteria as if there was a sale going on. Everyone except Jieun. She stayed back in class and continued to read her textbook as she munched on her red bean bun. Occasionally pushing her glasses up as it drooped down.

This was her usual routine. At every lunch break, she would stay in class, munch on a piece of bread and learn new things by reading her textbook. In a way, you can say Jieun is an unsociable nerd. No one disturbs her, and she likes it that way. Though, today was different.

“Ummm…”, someone mumbled, catching her attention as she turned to see a cute guy with jet black hair and a pair of cat-like eyes, standing beside her table. “Hi. Can I join you?”, he asked as she nodded her head. “Where have I seen him before?”, she asked herself as she stared at her book, not reading it.

“Hi, my name is Jin Young, but everyone calls me JR.”, he introduced, catching Jieun’s attention as she nodded again before turning back to her book. “Am I supposed to introduce myself as well? But if he wanted to join me, he should know my name right? Aish! This is so confusing!”, she thought as she continued to stare at her book while JR watched her.

Jieun doesn’t have friends nor does she mix around with people so she doesn’t know what to do in times like this. Luckily for her, JR decided to start a conversation with her. “So…. I notice you always stay in class during lunch break alone. Don’t you have any friends?”, he asked curiously as she shook her head.

“I prefer to be alone. It’s more peaceful and I can concentrate on learning.”, she replied as his face scrunch in disgust. “What’s so nice about learning? It’s so boring. Don’t you want to do fun things? Like going to arcades, watching movies and many more?”, he asked sceptically as she closed her book and narrowed her eyes at him.

“If you’re here to tell me that I’m a lonely, boring person, then I suggest you leave me alone.”, Jieun said, voice calm but held a hint of anger, before adjusting her glasses and reopening her book, reading it again. “I-Argh whatever.”, he mumbled and shook his head before leaving the class, and Jieun, alone.

“Finally, peace and quiet.”, she thought and started memorizing the various French languages. However, the peaceful atmosphere ended after 10 minutes when the bell rang, signalling the start of class. All her classmates started entering the class in groups and soon, it was filled with chatters from everyone.

“Hey! It’s nearing the end of the year and you know what that means…!”, Krystal said as she moved her eyebrows up and down cheekily causing her friends to laugh. “Of course we know! The Dance is nearing!”, Sulli squealed as all her friends squealed as well.

“The Dance? I guess I’m going to skip it again.”, Jieun thought as she stared at her book. Truth was, she really wanted to go to the Dance, but one would only make a fool out of themselves if they went alone.

She decided to read her book though she couldn’t help but eavesdrop on her classmates as they talked about who their partners are. “Of course I’m going with Nickhun.”, Victoria said while Krystal has she was going with Taemin. “I’m going with Minho oppa.”, Sulli said as Luna pouted.

“I hate you guys. I don’t have anyone!”, Luna exclaimed as Amber looked at her. “Hey, I don’t have a partner too, ok?”, she said as Luna frowned and complained about not having a boyfriend. “If you don’t have a partner, then don’t go.”, Jieun thought as she shook her head. She will never understand why they are so stressed about the formal event.

---------

Jieun started packing her things, except the textbook she was reading, into her bag. School has ended and as usual, she was the last to leave. Jieun lives alone in a 2 room apartment. She has never seen or met her parents, as she was brought up in an orphanage.

At the age of 16, the owner of the place decided to let her survive on her own; renting an apartment for her and admitting her into Seoul High through scholarship. Fortunately, it wasn’t as stressful as she thought it would be. The rent was cheap, about $150 a month, while her monthly expenses of food and transport were about $260. Thus, her salary of $ 500 at her part time job was more than enough.

Jieun finally packed all her belongings and was about to head out when she bumped into someone. The person caught her before she could fall as they stared into each other’s eyes. “JR?”, she called stunned as he smiled widely and straighten himself before letting her go. “You remember my name!”, he exclaimed excitedly as she nodded her head while looking at him weirdly.

“You did mention it to me during lunch break.”, she said as he pouted slightly before smiling again. “Erm… I’m sorry I left suddenly during lunch break.”, he apologized as Jieun stared at him, shocked. This was the first time a guy apologized to her. “Also, I have something I want to ask you.”, he said nervously as she continued to stare at him; not sure what to expect.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before opening his eyes again; this time, his eyes were full of determination. “Will you go to the Dance with me?”, he asked as Jieun’s eyes widened. “I’m hearing things, right?”, she asked herself and as if JR read her thoughts, he repeated the question again.

“Yes.”, she quickly replied as he broke into a huge smile. “Really?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”, he repeatedly thanked as he hugged and swung Jieun around. She gasped at the sudden action and her heart started beating furiously while she felt heat collecting in her cheeks. This was the first time a guy was this intimate with her!

After a while, both JR and Jieun started to feel nauseous and he placed her back onto the ground. “Ok, so I’ll meet you at the designated place then! I’m wearing a white tuxedo so, wear a white dress alright?”, he said and kissed my right cheek before running off. Jieun stood rooted to the ground as she tried to figure out what actually happened.

“I’m going to the Dance, with JR…”, she mumbled, still not believing what happened, as she shook her head and headed back home.

---------

“White. White. I don’t have anything white!”, she screamed as she emptied her closet. Heck! She didn’t even have a formal dress! Jieun sighed as she plopped herself onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. “I guess I need to buy a dress.”, she mumbled as she crawled her way to her piggy bank and emptied its contents.

“$50, $110, $200, $220, $300. I have $300.”, she counted and wondered whether it would be enough. After wondering for 10 minutes, she decided it was best to go shopping for the dress rather than wonder about the price of the dress aimlessly. Jieun quickly placed her money into her wallet and left the house in search for the dress.

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“This dress cost $799.”, she read the price tag in her head and immediately placed the dress back onto the rack before leaving the shop. “This is hopeless. That was the cheapest dress I could find! What am I going to do now?”, Jieun asked herself as she sat at a nearby bench.

“Maybe I should stop looking for long dresses. A shorter one should be cheaper.”, she reasoned with herself and revisited the shops she had been too. “White dress. White dress.”, she chanted in her mind as she looked through the clothes racks. This was the fifth shop she has entered and she was hoping the dress might be here.

“Oh!”, she exclaimed as she pulled a simple but elegant plain white dress, with a ribbon in the middle, out of the rack. It was a short sleeve dress that ended two fingers above her knees. “This is it!”, she beamed and prayed that it was within her budget as she flipped the price tag towards her. “$299”

Jieun almost screamed in happiness the minute she saw the price. Although she controlled herself from screaming, she couldn’t stop the huge smile that spread across her face. She was just too happy that she found a white dress that was formal enough for the Dance and was within her budget!

“I’ll take this dress, please!”, she said happily, passing the dress to the sales lady. Magically, the dress was the last one they had and it fits her perfectly! She thanked God for allowing her to find such a dress and thanked the sales lady before heading home, after taking her dress.

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The next morning, Jieun went to school as usual and entered the empty class. She had always been early but today, she seemed a little too early; there was still an hour before class started. She opened her French book and began reading.

“Jieun.”

Her head snapped up, at the sound of her name, and began searching for the source of the voice. Unfortunately for her, no one was around.  She waited patiently, glancing around the class, for the person to call her again. “Hmmm.. Must have been my imagination.”, she thought before going back to what  she was doing; reading.

“Jieun.”

The velvety voice called again after 20 minutes, and this time, Jieun was determined to know who was calling her; even if she was slightly scared. “Who’s there?”, she called out, her voice slightly wavering, as she stood and searched around the classroom. Looking into places where a person might be able to hide in.

After about five minutes of searching, she slumped into her chair when she found out that she was the only person in the class. “This school isn’t haunted, right?”, she asked herself and shook her head before mentally scolding herself, “Stop being stupid, Jieun. There are no such things as ghost! You’re just tired from reading too much.”

From a distance away, under an oak tree, someone chuckled as he watched her reason with herself. He had been staring at her since the moment she stepped foot into the school and was the one who called out to her. “You’re so cute, Jieun.”, he mumbled as leaned against the tree.

Jieun’s eyes widened when she felt someone watching her and immediately turned to the oak tree, outside her window. No one was there. Her eyes knit together in confusion and she could have sworn she felt someone there but decided to brush the feeling off.

“Get a grip, Jieun.”, she mumbled and massaged her temples; closing her eyes.

---------

Time seemed to pass by rather quickly, since school has ended, as Jieun packed her things. She thought back to the lessons she had learnt today, and smiled happily knowing that she had learnt new things. “Another day, another bottle of knowledge.”, she said and giggled at her choice of words.

“Kyeopta.”

Her eyes widened and spun 180 degrees as she stared out the window. The voice was back and this time, she could pinpoint it from the oak tree. The sun was starting to set –It was already 5.25PM- as the tree casted shadows under its crown.

She immediately opens the window and a strong wind blew towards her, messing up her hair which was in a bun, as she was forced to close her eyes for a while, before she glanced around. “Who’s out there? Show yourself!”, she demanded with newfound courage as she glanced around, specifically at the oak tree.

There was no reply, and a shudder went down her spine as she had expected this as well. She looks around the place one more time before closing the window. “Coward.”, she mumbled under her breath before leaving the school to go for her part time job.

Unknown to her, a figure chuckled at her cute, frightened, actions before he followed her wherever she went.

---------

“Have you found your date for the Dance, yet?”, Sulli asked and Jieun turned in time to watch Amber and Luna slump their shoulders. A few weeks have passed since JR had asked her to be his partner and now, there was only a week left to the Dance.

“No. Everyone is taken! Even JR and JB! I wonder who the lucky girls are that managed to get them as partners.”, Luna exclaimed as everyone nodded while Jieun’s eyes widened. Apparently the whole class heard her rant and agreed with her.

“I heard from JB oppa that his date is Jiyeon but JR’s date is still a mystery! There are rumours going around that she’s the most beautiful girl in this school so we’re guessing that it might be one of the SNSD noonas.”, Ailee said as everyone nodded while Jieun grew nervous.

SNSD was a group of queenkas in their school. They were both beautiful on the inside and out. Jieun knew them as Hyoyeon, one of the SNSD girls, had helped her when she was bullied. “Just who is JR?!”, she thought nervously as she continued to listen to them.

“Well, it’s definitely not Taeyeon noona as she is Key oppa’s girlfriend and date for the Dance.”, Victoria voiced out as the others agreed. “And it’s not Seohyun noona as well; she’s Yonghwa oppa’s girlfriend and date.”, Miyoung added as everyone nodded again.

“I wonder who the lucky girl is. She has to be beautiful for JR oppa. He’s the most perfect and adorable guy in this school, along with many others. ”, Ailee said as everyone agreed while Jieun nibbled her lower lip nervously.

“What would they do if they found out I am JR’s date for the Dance?”, she asked herself and shuddered at the thought. Jieun was pretty but she has never seen herself that way. She always thought of herself as normal looking when it came to appearance; especially in a school filled with beautiful people.

“What do I do?!”, she asked herself as a memory flashed into her mind. “Have you heard about the shop down Dark Street?”, Miyoung asked her friend excitedly while jumping in her seat. “Are you talking about Exotics? The shop owned by a vampire that will beautify any girl that enters?”, Ailee, her friend, replied with a question and excitement on par with Miyoung’s.

“Vampire… That…Beautifies… Any…Girl…”, she mumbled under her breath before shaking her head and slapping herself; Hard. Everyone turned to look at her weirdly as she groaned and rubbed her sore cheeks. “No, Jieun. You’re being ridiculous. There’s no such thing as vampires!”, she scolded herself mentally and sighed in despair.

---------

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this!”, Jieun exclaimed in her mind as she walked down Dark Street. The first impression anyone would have, when they hear a street named ‘Dark Street’, would be to think that it was either filled with outlaws or filled with illegal businesses.

Well, they’re wrong. The street was named ‘Dark Street’ due to the fact that not a single shop opens at night. All the shops, by some weird rule, closes by 7PM and when anyone walks past this street, all they see is darkness, thus earning the name ‘Dark Street’.

“Am I even walking in the right direction?”, she asked herself as she walked down the quiet street. She has passed this street a few times in the past and it didn’t seem as dark and eerie as it seemed to her now. Jieun could feel goosebumps forming on her skin as the cold wind sent shudders down her spine.

“Alright, I should just go home. There’s obviously no shop open.”, she thought frantically and turned around, wanting very badly to escape from this place. She had taken a few steps when the sound of a group of boys could be heard laughing around the corner in front of her. Normally, she would avoid them but their laughter seemed to grow louder as if they were approaching her.

“Why do I have the worst of lucks!”, she thought frustratingly as she her heels and ran deeper into the alley, away from the  group of boys. She knew she was a normal looking girl, not pretty enough to attract them, but she was still a girl. It was better to take precautions than regret.

The laughter died down behind her and she turned into another alley, which was slightly smaller that connected itself with Dark Street, just in case as she tried to catch her breath. She continued panting for another minute before scanning her environment. That was when a light at the end of the alley caught her attention.

Exotics

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Hey there! I have so much feels right now that it's hard for me to express! First off, this will be a threeshot; this story will only have three chapters. Next i wanna say is.... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! <3<3<3<3<3 I can't believe I got 15 subscribers within a day after posting this story's foreword! LET ME LOVE YOU GUYS!! MUACKZ MUACKZ MUACKZ! XD Finally... The last thing I'll asked from you.... PLEASE LEAVE STORY COMMENTS!!

Ps: I'm waiting for a poster for this baby~ :D

Alright! That's it. Bye bye~ *Waves sadly* See you next time! :)