Stranger 3 : Snowy Wish

 

 

Previously :

 

He stopped running, and put both of his hands at his knees. He bends down, panting before standing up again and kicked the trash can near him. “DAMN YOU!” He screamed. “ARGHHHHHHH!” He yelled yet again, frustratingly when his eyes went to the couple kissing at the alleyway. He gasped, he hope they didn’t know who he is. He might have interrupted their intimate moment with his screamed but that scene aren’t that romantic, it felt like the guy was making his move while the girl just stood idly there. They stopped though once they heard he screamed before.

 

He really shouldn’t interrupt in other people business. But then the girl pulled away bowing to the guy. He gasped yet again.

 

Because it’s Seo Joo Hyun that is walking away from that guy.

 

***

 

What the hell is happening? He mentally kicked himself.

 

“Seo Joohyun, wait up!” Wongeun screamed. Seohyun took the chance when she saw a figure of a man not far from them who is crying with frustrations. So she kept on running heading towards him.

 

While Yonghwa is only getting more and more clueless. Seohyun ran and grabbed him tightly, clutching his shoulders with her soft fingers. “Pretend you know me.” She said weakly knowing fully well how stupid it is to ask for help to a stranger.

 

The thing is..

 

She can’t see his face clearly.. nor that she found him familiar.

 

Weird..

 

“Dude, seriously stay rooted where you are.” Yonghwa pushed Wongeun away when he came close to touch Seohyun.

 

“You really don’t feel anything?” Won Geun said almost like a whisper looking at her seriously wuth frequent glances at Yonghwa.

 

“I’m sorry.. but I tried and I don’t feel anything.” She said softly, her guilt was apparent.

 

“What we have it’s not love, we don’t even date properly. Besides, you used me and you are with her now. You like money more than anything, don’t act innocent. I know what are you doing but I didn’t say anything. It’s weird because I was supposed to be mad, but I’m not... Just think of that as our goodbye kiss.” She sighed.

 

“Seohyun, can you listen to what I’m trying to say?” Wongeun tried to argue.

 

“She does not need to listen to you.” Yonghwa joined in the conversation.

 

“Do you even know who she is to answer for her?”

 

“Yes, because she’s a friend of my cousin, Jessica. Ring a bell?”

 

“I don’t trust you.” Won Geun declared with a tone of annoyance.

 

“Neither do i.” Seohyun said for the first time that day. She lifted her gaze slowly and looked straight into his eyes. Piercing his soul with her twinkling hazel eyes. It felt like she was intruding his mind. He unconsciously took a step back.

 

What Seohyun saw is a handsome young man in his mid 20’s. Black haired with bangs covering his forehead, well defined fixture, sharp nose and eyes that can melt a woman heart easily. Not matching with his formal outfits, he wore an earring on his right ear and a ring on his thumb. Weird.. really weird. But then she glanced back at his eyes she saw a glint of playfulness.. his eyes felt familiar to her it makes her felt safe right away. She was enthralled and she can’t tear her eyes from him, she felt this electrifying feeling tingling in her cells and yes she felt enthralled by him. The air felt like it was out of her.. the time seemed to stop ticking. He felt magnetic.  Although, she’s the type that will investigate everything to its core and doesn’t behave ridiculously her heart told her that he won’t harm her for sure and approaching this mysterious guy will be good for her writer instincts.

 

She’s a woman who is all about substances but for the first time in a long while she trusted her gut feelings.

 

“Now that I can see you, I trusted you.” Both of the man looked at her in surprise but she ignored it and approached him closer.

 

 “Seo Joohyun why are you talking to him as you know him at one time and estranged at another?”

 

“You will know who I am if you buy tomorrow Forbes edition.” He said almost sounded obnoxious. “That guy in the cover page, read all my profiles there. You will get your answer. If you like money that much I will transfer some money to you.. just stay away from her.”

 

Just like that, Wongeun stood there silently. Fuming with madness and jealous stricken face watching Seohyun and Yonghwa walked away together.

 

They walked side by side, awkwardly.

 

“Thanks.” She muttered.

 

“Welcome.” He cooly said as if it doesn’t matter to him.

 

“So?” Both of them said simultaneously.

 

“Ani..ani you go first.” He looked at her grinning looking like a total idiot.

 

“You are not going to kidnap me or anything right?” She said bluntly, stopping her steps while he chuckled in amusement.

 

“I will if you are willing too.” He grinned yet again.

 

“I’m not willing.”

 

“Okay then. I will not kidnap you, deal?” He offered his hand to her when suddenly she took a step back feeling conscious. “You didn’t want anything as a return? Money I presume.”

 

“What kind of guy you presume I am?” He said slightly annoyed.

 

“Uhm a stranger? Isn’t it right? I don’t know you and same goes to you... I’m sorry it just It doesn’t feel pleasant to me if you help me but I didn’t give anything back.” She started to walk again seeing the restaurant are only about a few meters ahead.

 

“Kidding.” He chuckled again. “You are really gullible don’t you?” He can’t help but laughing out loud.

 

“I’m not.” She argued strongly with her flaring nose.

 

“HAHAHA so cute!” He pointed at her nose laughing like a mad man which he found wonderfully pleasant because it’s been ages since he last laugh as free as that. This girl, well she’s something to do this to him. She’s infectious.. he likes to annoyed her to elicit some responses, sarcasm was his card to see how she handled it.. asking question to know her more. Not from some background profiling. He just curious.

 

“Hey!” She covered her nose immediately forming a colour of rose pink cheeks.

 

“Yep, I’m rude like that. So this is my turn to talk right?” She nodded to his question, gazing to the stars at the sky.

 

“You didn’t owe me anything, I know you can escape him without my help.. you just used me to fasten the process. So I just merely fasten the whole process.” She stopped gazing the stars and looked at him giddily.

 

“Wow! We think alike. I don’t want to sound arrogant or anything but you know… Hmm.” She pondered for a while.

 

“I know.” He smiled cheekily.

 

“Did you just read my mind?” She gasped and he nodded as a response.

 

“I guess we have telepathy?” He smirked in amusement.

 

“Finish other sentences?” She wiggled her eyebrows, while he smiled cheekily. “Okay, that’s too cheesy.” They both laughed with their silliness.

 

“Can we meet sometimes in a near future?” He grinned.

 

“No.” He frowned at her response. He thought they were clicking even though they are far from ‘it’. “I need to write.”

 

“Oh.. I need to go to meetings too.” He said sarcastically.

 

“Did you just troll me?” She said, shocked at how comfortable this guy was behaving with her even though they just met.

 

“Glad you get it.” He whistled.

 

“I don’t like being challenged.” She crossed her arms in disapprovement.

 

“I didn’t even do anything.” He shrugged. “At least give me a ride or something to fasten my journey home.. like I fasten your abandoning process.”

 

“Ride? Okay.” She smiled before running to the road hailing the taxi which he stared in disbelief.

 

Taxi?!?

 

“Hey, come over here ahjusshi!” She screamed, opening the door and entered it right away.

 

Ahjusshi!?!

 

He closed the door and scorned the interior of the taxi. He moved closer to her, who sat at the end of the backseat.

 

“You said you were giving me a ride?” He asked incredulously.

 

“This is a ride, I’m paying.” She slides her unlock button of her phone and she texted Yoona to make sure her car got back home. By all means, she didn’t let just anyone enter her car.. she felt extremely uncomfortable with it as for her that means intrusion of privacy and she doesn’t even know this guy.

 

“Don’t you have a car or something!? You are rich right?” He scoffed at her because he despised the feeling that he is feeling right now. The fact that she purposely did that and the fact that obviously she didn’t trust him.

 

Her eyes widened at his behavior feeling all her gogumas for him crumbling down in instance. She’s wrong. He is not all about substance..  he’s not a mysterious nice guy. He just another obnoxious rich dude, an arrogant stranger.

 

Good thing though, she needs a reality check. What happened to the logical mind of hers? She needs to fix it back of course.

 

“Ahjusshi do you have a piece of paper?” She asked the driver which the driver gave it to her gladly. “I’m spending my money right here.. you said you want me to offer you a ride so I did. Stop whining and give your address to the driver.” She answered back in a very cold mannered and distant herself from him writing something on a piece of paper. She got her inspiration for that day.. and as soon as her lights bulb lit up she needed to write or her mind will go blank at the instance. She used her 2B pencil which again Yonghwa scoffed at seeing.

 

“So you write?” She ignored him so he looked around and saw Ill Woo came back late from his grandpa's home. He knew this will happen.. he knew it will pass his grandpa home, what will they say if they notice how low his standard nowadays. Damn it. He ducked down.

 

Somehow he felt like they both are just being chaebols right now. Prideful and filled with tricks. Challenging each other words and movement.

 

Seohyun eyed his every move. “You know, you should stop that. Why do you mind so much what people think? Its tiring don’t you think. If you want to live the best, you should live for yourself. Not others.” She said that and meant every words she said. Because she had once live like that.. proving herself.

 

And it’s hella depressing.

 

“I’m a businessman, appearance is everything. From top to bottom.” He fixed himself, from his suit to his bangs when he sat up and faced her smiling.

 

“Yes, I can’t deny that but I believe in the confidence that it brings, not what people think of it.” She answered seriously.

 

 “Confidence came from feeling good which is part of the feeling that you know people think of a good stuff when they see us.” Yes, she indeed one of the chaebol girls that are obnoxious.. but she’s just what he needed. Her background is flawless. The thing is, what she talks about is not what typical heiress would say they might say the polar opposite of it. He doesn’t know what to make out of her.

 

“Who are you exactly?” She asked raising her eyebrows, because all she sees is him being a very normal guy before they enter the taxi and now he’s being all obnoxious, arrogant.

 

“I told you, buy tomorrow Forbes magazine.”

 

“I don’t need to buy it. I GOT IT FOR FREE. Arghh.” She said directing her attention back to the paper that she is writing but she couldn’t pay any attention to it, she needed a peaceful atmosphere not this annoying guy sitting beside her.

 

BGM : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSKKamK8kpI

“I’m confused. I don’t know what to think of you.”

 

“Me, neither. But maybe because I was raised a bit differently from others and the Seo’s are not all about money they are all about substance. Marriage due to money is something they don’t take part in.”

 

Okay, this is trouble for him.

 

“You are lucky.” He closed his eyes and mumbled.. she swore she heard a tone of envy coming from him.

 

“It’s not me.. everyone is lucky in some ways..” She paused because she doesn’t know his name.

 

Flashback

 

He waited and waited… for his ride to arrive while the rest of people just rode in expensive cars..

 

But he couldn’t care less..He’s super cold after his grandfather guards just left him outside. He warmed his hand by rubbing it together as he breathe to it. He ran at the same place just to ensure a little bit of warmness.

 

A taxi has arrived.. so he jumped giddily like a little boy he was.

 

“Why are you so happy?” His uncle who just arrived at the hotel squatted down and asked him.

 

“I can go home!”

 

“In that?” His uncle pointed at the taxi.

 

“Yeshhh!” He bobbed his head up and down, happily.

 

“That’s the lowest form of ride. Never rode in that.. you should just walked than enter that thing you got it?” His uncle ruffled his hair and proceed to enter the revolving door followed by an army of followers.

 

Ill Woo stopped and scoffed at him.

 

“Taxi? You should just ride in one! You belong there.” Ill Woo walked ahead, lifting his head high like a total snob. He remembered feeling like his pride were being torn apart and stepped on.. mercilessly. It’s what, that shaped him to the person he is..

 

The thought of standing at the top has been around since he was a kid..  as he wanted to understand the behavior of those who are in it.

 

Why the freak is they so freaking cruel?

 

What’s so good about money?

 

He won’t stop until he found the meaning of it. He won’t stop.. because he don’t ever want to be ridicule like that. No he won’t.

 

“Seohyun sshi, what do you think about taxi?”

 

“It helps people when they are in need. You know when the day is cold and you felt like you are dying.. or when it’s really hot and you can’t stand walking nor waiting for the bus. Some people didn’t have the kindness of money so that’s where the taxi play it’s role. I even heard some people moving on from their past heartbreaks by riding in a taxi. A special taxi.”

 

“You are different…really different to even answer this silly question of mine.” He had his fears.. the fact that she is so adverse to her surrounding and behave albeit differently than a normal typical heiress is something he had predicted. He is indeed doubting.. whether she’s the right girl to strike a deal with.

 

“No question is silly.. there’s a reason why they asked it. Because it’s worth questioning. In my working field, we live with questions. So believe what I say, that there’s always an answer for every questions.”

 

“I want to ride in the special taxi someday.” He watched how people mostly warmed themselves with their lovers.. and a mom that is cuddling his middle school child.

 

“Me too..” She too gazed outside.. looking at the people walking, smiling to herself and directed her gaze to the sky as the snow suddenly pour from above the sky creating a mesmerizing scene.

 

“Merry Christmas…”

 

“Yonghwa sshi..” He interrupted her unfinished sentence.

 

“Merry Chrismas Yonghwa sshi.”

 

“Merry Christmas Seo Joohyun sshi.”

 

***

 

“About the judging thingy, can you teach me how to stop thinking about it?”

 

“I can’t help.. you should you know find someone that won’t judge you and accept you for what you are.” She spoke such grand words but she knew fully well that she hasn’t found that kind of someone that could love her without building clouds of expectation of what she should be for him. Except at least, she has her unniedul.

 

“Then it should start from you, you should stop judging me then I might stop caring about what people think of me.” He looked at her this time, looking seriously at her twinkling eyes ignoring the driver repeated words that the taxi has arrived at his office.

 

For the first time, she felt the world stop spinning and the music dispersed into the background. She was intoxicated.

 

“I have a request and as silly as it sounds I’m not good with woman. It’s been a while since I last try to actually talk to one, make a conversation with her. I would stop being obnoxious and get straight to the point.” He paused, to take a short breath and started to move closer to shorten their distance. He leaned forward while she sat there frozen still looking into his eyes.

 

He knew it.. he just got to try and asked her..  

 

“Would you be my girlfriend?” He whispered at her right ear with his husky voice eliciting the same feeling she has been feeling before.

 

 

Unbeknownst to the fact that Mr Seo is standing at the corner of the street watching the scene. Frowning at the scene that seemed so intimate far from his liking. Seo Joohyun was his jewel after all.

 

Author's Note

This is a really..really long update for me. O.o haha. Anyways, enjoy! And oh you got A WHOLE yongseo in here. Lucky isn't it? XD It's off for a slow start but it's faster than i wanted it to be. I was worried at first because the way i potray them in this chapter is not somebody who will come across as likable. So i consider it over and over again and decide to edit a few resulting in a very long chapter.

But their behaviour was necessary, they live in the world where they stab each other back if they need to. 

And what i'm trying to show is.. how sometimes someone within that circle felt trapped too.