A/N: Sorry for the late update, guys! :(( I actually find this to be a nice story. It's just that I haven't had the inspiration to write the next chapter to it. I then found myself browsing the comments of this story and it looks like you liked the first chapter, so I decided to update this. I must admit--I was also updating my other stories, which is why I wasn't able to update this for a while. I can't guarantee you guys when I'll update the next chapter. :( Anyway, thank you to those who subscribed and commented. I hope you like this chapter. :-bd



 

c h a p t e r  t w o ::

“What!?”

Yoona widened her eyes, choking on the instant noodles in the cup she’s holding when she heard about the mishap that I had to go through last night. Just thinking about it made me roll my eyes to myself, especially when my boss at the Graze café would cross my mind.

After putting the cup of noodles down on the table in front of us, followed by a few coughs, Yoona took a sip of water from her bottle before sighing out of relief. “You scratched an expensive, black car? Twice? On both sides?”

“The brakes on my bike just gave out at that moment!” I exclaimed, annoyed that Yoona just had to repeat what I told her just now. “If it weren’t for that big chunk of a man telling me to deliver that oh-so important envelope, I wouldn’t have to pay the guy ten million Won!”

“So you’re jobless as of the moment.” Yoona retorted, looking like she didn’t have anything else to say that could make the atmosphere surrounding us a little less tense, or help me in any way.

With my elbow on the table, I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand as I stared at the smoke coming from the grill of the small outdoor eatery, and not even the smell of grilled beef was able to get my spirits up.

“He called me up and asked if I delivered the document at the Graze café downtown. When I told him that I left it at the highway, he started yelling on the phone and said I was fired.” I poutingly told my doe-eyed friend who was sympathizing with me. I can’t hide my frustration, knowing that my boss always had this grudge towards me for reasons that I’m unaware of, to the point that he’d do such crafty ways to fire me. I started yelling in order to release the stress that was building up inside of me, clenching my fists as I hit both hands on the table before me. “Aish! If that document is so important, he should’ve delivered it himself! In his car! And not ask me to deliver it for him by riding a bike downtown! That whale!!! It’s even pay day and he still has my salary!”

After telling Yoona every single complaint that I have in mind—and still counting—I felt her hands on my shoulders. I noticed that she has already stood up from her chair with her eyes looking straight at me. “Sooyoung, calm down. You’ll find a new job; I guarantee it! But for now, don’t act like it’s the end of the world.”

“Yoong, it would be alright if it’s the end of my world only, but my father’s life depends on this. The money that I was supposed to get today was enough to pay my rent and my father’s medications. To add to it, my scholarship gives me a 50 percent discount, but I also have to pay the other half.” I answered Yoona, whose grip on my shoulders loosened up after hearing the rest of my messed up life as she averted her gaze from me. Still, I had my eyes fixed at hers. “If my father dies, then it would mean the end of the world to me.”

Moments passed as I continue to stare at Yoona, whose face seems to depict that she may have had a realization along with pity.

Alarmed, I started to call her attention. “Yoona, Yoong! Hey, girl! Ten seconds to go before I send you off to Mars!”

“Sooyoung,” she faced me, her tone being totally different from her words of comfort. “I’m sorry. I know the things that you’re facing right now and I know that I don’t really have the right to be telling you these things because I’ve never gone through this, but I just want you to know that there are other things to worry about than complaining.”

I smiled it off, shaking my head as I let the thought slide. “It’s alright. What you said completely makes sense. I shouldn’t be mixing up my emotions with my problems… and stop it!!”

“What?”

“Your face! Your eyes are getting all watery and like it isn’t obvious that you’ve got pity all over your face!” I cried out, pointing my index finger on one of her eyes before moving to the next one. “Look at those eyes. If it weren’t for me being constantly there by your side throughout our school years together, you still would’ve been the target of every bully you know. Don’t show other people how kind you can actually be, damn.”

Yoona chuckled, rubbing her eyes with one of her hands. “I’m not crying, okay!? You know how my eyes are just naturally like this. You can’t blame me for something that I can’t help myself with.”

“And you know that I don’t like it when your eyes are naturally like that because you’re feeling sorry for someone.”

It was like playing a game of darts. My words were like arrows being thrown across the air while Yoona’s eyes were the target—they immediately widened upon contact, followed by gasp.

Although she wasn’t able to say anything else, I wanted to finish what I had told her just now. “You’re my best friend, and you know that more than anyone else. I just wanted to voice out my problems to you.” I started to sigh in front of her, leaning my head on the hand of my arm whose elbow is resting on the table while I faced the worn-out wooden table below me. “It’s just that I think I’d lose my sanity if I didn’t tell anyone about this.”

I glanced back at the girl with the long, black locks across me as she curved her lip at me; the pitying  look in her eyes faded away. “It’s alright. We’ll just have to do what we can to survive in this world.” Yoona uttered, laying her elbows on the table before taking another bite of the instant noodles from her cup.

With a few open books in front of me, I return to writing my assignment on my notebook, scanning every book before me, turning every page that would lead me to useful information on the history of ceramics during the Tang dynasty in China. Despite the noise from the people who are coming in and out of the eatery, the honking and engines of the cars at the street beside us and the sizzling of meat on the grill, I was able to focus quite well on the assignment, having written a few paragraphs already…

But one noise stood out among the rest.

“Omo, it’s Kyuhyun singing on TV.” I heard Yoona mumble to herself, sounding like she was delighted by what she saw on TV.

I couldn’t classify his voice as a kind of noise. When it comes to noise, I can easily ignore my surroundings; even if there was construction work outside, I’ll still able to focus on what I was doing back then. But his voice seemed so magical and very distinguished among the rest that I find myself staring blankly into space, just listening to his voice that can pierce through a person’s heart and leave a mark to last for a while… amidst all of the troubles that one faces.

I just had to turn my head, since his voice made me so interested to actually see his face, even on TV. Such pure voice that I haven’t heard in a while, that somehow made me forget all the problems I had for a moment. I couldn’t be patient any longer. At once, I directed my head to the flat screen TV hanging beside the kitchen, and I was able to watch the man sing his heart into every word of the song, knowing it bit by bit as if he has sang it a thousand times.

However, when he had opened his eyes, I thought I heard glasses breaking and the loud brakes of a car that’s trying to stop before it crashes onto something. Everything sounded so great until I had a glimpse of what he actually looked like, resembling the man whose car I scratched yesterday.

I widened my eyes at the TV, pointing my index finger at it. “Yoong, th-that p-person…” I stuttered, finding it hard to believe that he’s the person with the cocky attitude, demanding 10 Million Won for a scratch on his car.

“Ah, him?” Yoona pointed out, “He’s Cho Kyuhyun, a singer. He just debuted a year ago and he’s already the press’ favorite because he isn’t only good in singing, but he is also a good actor and a model. To add to it, he’s good looking.”

Yoona’s last statement sounded quite off when I heard her saying it in a dreamy manner.

“T-that person is…”

“There are also rumors that his ancestors were of royalty, and that he’s actually the heir to the throne. Do you still remember the talks that the government had? The ones that were broadcasted on national TV years ago and how the government was planning to shift from a democratic government to a monarchy again?” Yoona cut me before I was able to finish my sentence.

“Yoong, that guy is…”

“It’s said that his grandfather will rule as of the moment, but he’ll be taking over years from now. But I’ve only read about this stuff from the tabloids that the ahjummas sell by the school front. To add to it, he has already denied the rumors, but I don’t believe him because my cousin works at the royal family’s house and they see him there from time to time. I heard from Yuri that he’s actually a snob, and he seems to be one actually. I mean, I see him at school too since he’s at my Economics class.”

I immediately turned my head at Yoona, taken aback with her last sentence. “What did you say just now?”

After taking a sip of water from her bottle, Yoona laid it on the table while answering my question. “Oh, I was talking about how he’s part of royalty and all and—,”

“No. I meant the last thing you said just now.” I implied, my right hand shaking as I paid close attention to what Yoona will be saying, hoping that I misheard whatever she said moments ago.

“Oh. Well, he’s studying at our school and I see him in my Economics class. He looks snobbish but he manages to attend his classes daily in spite of his busy schedule. He’s even a straight A student and he’s even included in the dean’s list last semester.”

After eating dinner with Yoong, I headed to the police station at my neighborhood to work. Ever since my father has been diagnosed with heart problems and is required to have surgery as soon as possible, I started working in the police station where he also works; making sure the criminals won’t escape while arranging the prisoners’ data with regards to their cases after having gone through the prosecutor’s office. When I have the time, I would do my reports and finish all of my assignments. If I’m lucky, I’ll still have time to sleep.

The police station had a couple of staircases that lead to the entrance, and upon arriving, I saw Kibum on one of them, holding a plastic bag in one of his hands while walking back and forth, constantly glancing at his wristwatch and the cloudy night sky above him impatiently.

My lips curved when I saw him moving restlessly in his place, finding his action cute and interesting, which was expected of Kibum.

“Kibum-i!” I called out, to which he responded by turning his head at the direction of my voice as he waved his hand with a smile before walking towards me. I asked him, “How long have you been waiting?”

“Just a few minutes.” He answered, his eyes smiling by themselves behind his black specs. He then put the plastic bag close to my face, and I was able to see two cups of coffee from Graze. “You want coffee?” he asked.

I sighed, bearing mixed feelings with what Kibum brought me as I lead him to the police station. Upon entering, I was greeted by my father’s colleagues and I bowed my head to everyone present. Each of them had different tasks to accomplish while I have some unfinished business left in my dad’s office, where Kibum and I went as soon as we entered the police station. I sat down behind this huge wooden desk while Kibum sits down on the chair across it before bringing out the cups of coffee and laying them on the table.

I put my books on the right side of the desk as I sit down, laying my bag on the floor before opening the drawer at the center to start my work.

It would’ve been very silent if it weren’t for Kibum starting a conversation.

“I heard that boss fired you after what had happened last night.” he said with a hint of disappointment in his tone. “You haven’t received your salary from him yet, right?”

Wanting to contradict the tone present in his words, I smiled at him. “I know.” I replied before pulling out a bulk of paper from the central drawer. “So, you just came here to ask me that or something?”

I glanced at Kibum, waiting for his answer as he shook his head while hugging his backpack. “No. I thought that I could be of help to you or something.”

I smiled upon hearing Kibum’s answer. “You sound like you have all the time in the world.”

“Oh yeah.” Kibum muttered before opening his backpack to get something. After a few seconds, he pulls out this white envelope and slams it on my desk. From the looks of it, it had money inside. My eyes widened as Kibum explains the situation with a grin on his face. “I threatened the boss. I told him that if he doesn’t hand me over your salary for the month, I’ll write my resignation letter then and there.”

“And?” I said, curious over what had happened between Kibum and the boss.

“He gave me your salary.” He retorted as he shrugged his shoulders. “He’s actually a coward. I thought he wasn’t going to give in when I had my job involved in this but—,”

Unable to conceal how overjoyed I was to get my salary back, I released my grip of the bulk of paper in my hands, stood up from my seat and abruptly hugging Kibum with tears coming out of my eyes. Sniffling, I tightened my hold around his body as I tried to speak between sobs.

“Thank you, Kibum-i.” I whispered before repeating those words a few more times. “Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!”

It was morning when I heard my phone ring out of the blue. In the middle of my battle against sleep, I realized that my three alarm clocks have been ringing continually, each having a different annoying sound that can wake any normal human being up at once. I had a feeling that it was past 7 since I set my alarm to 7 and because I wasn’t able to respond to the alarms immediately.

I lifted my head and faced the three alarm clocks on my right with squinting eyes as I reached for my cellphone by the alarm clocks, which where an arm away. Without looking at the screen, I pressed one of the buttons to answer the call before moving the phone close to my ear.

“Your speaking.” I answered with a hint of sarcasm.

“Choi Sooyoung, it’s me, Yoona.”I was able to recognize Yoona’s voice on the other line, who seems to be whispering on the phone.

I decided to close my eyes for a moment, inwardly groaning before whining over the phone. “Why would you call me at 7 in the morning!?”

I heard Yoona click her tongue a few times afterward. “Aigoo. It’s 7:45. I was thinking that you might be at the train station by now but sounds to me that you just woke up.”

It’s true—I just woke up, and if it weren’t for Yoona calling me this early, I might have woken up later in the afternoon. Hearing Yoona’s statement made me sit on the mat, since I wouldn’t want her to think that I just woke up.

“What are you talking about!? I just finished taking a shower, just so you know!” I cried out, reaching for my brush beside my pillow using my free hand before using it for my hair. “But why did you call me?”

“I found you a new job!”

I wasn’t expecting to hear those words from Yoona. Seriously, my best friend surprises me in ways that I can’t explain. A part of me is glad that my best friend has this adventurous, exciting side to her but the other part is worried that I might not be able to handle whatever she’ll be preparing for me in the future. The last time she applied me for a job, I had to wear a chicken costume in front of a fast food chain.

“Please tell me that it’s a job that doesn’t require taking away my dignity.” I told her, hugging my knees closer to my chest as I leaned forward to get a few seconds of sleep.

“Yes, you’re not wearing a chicken suit. Just get here so that I can tell you directly!”

I groaned back at Yoona, who responded by saying, “You know that Professor Jang is our teacher for today, first period, right?”

Once again, Yoona’s words made me leap out of the mat I’m sleeping on. I stood up on my feet this time; just thinking about Professor Jang makes me cringe in fear.

“Oh . I forgot about that.” I answered, wearing my slippers before heading straight to the bathroom. “I’ll be there soon! I’m on my way to the train station right now.”

I ended the phone call at once, laying my phone on the kitchen counter on my way to the bathroom. After taking a shower for three minutes, I donned a pink shirt and a pair of blue jeans and rubber shoes, tied my long hair in a ponytail and got my black backpack along with the key to my house. Stepping out of the house, I locked the door from the outside before putting the key in my pocket and running down the staircases to the gates, and down the busy streets of a busy city called Seoul.

Clasping onto the handles of my backpack, I was running by the sidewalk and would often bump onto someone, but I would apologize at once. Upon reaching the train station, I ran down a couple of steps and after going through heaps of people, I was able to board the last train that was about to leave. After a few minutes, I arrived at the university’s territory, and along with a number of students, we squeezed our way out of the train before rushing to school.

While running, I noticed that a crowd was walking down the pedestrian crossing, and there were only five seconds left before the cars move for 45 seconds. Thinking that I was close to the crosswalk anyway, I thought of catching up with the remaining few people who were crossing the street. I wasn’t able to check how many seconds I had left, but by the time I reached the pedestrian crossing, the cars weren’t moving so I just ran.

It ended up as a not-so-good idea though. I was already halfway across the crosswalk when the cars started to move. I tried running my way out to avoid getting hit by one of the cars; trucks and cars were honking their horns at me, but a certain car honked continuously, which made me turn my head towards its direction. It was a black car heading straight towards my direction, and thinking that I had no chance surviving this, I just stood there, frozen while my knees gave out.

However, I noticed that the car’s plate number was a few inches away from my face, seeming to have stopped. Luckily, for me, I was still alive.

I soon heard the car’s door open, followed by a series of footsteps while I stared blankly at the car that almost hit me, wondering how God was still able to save me at a time like this.

But this event somehow reminds me of the other night.

The footsteps halted.

“Are you stupid or do you really want to die?” he irritatingly spoken, a voice that seems oddly familiar to me. “Didn’t your mother teach you how to cross the street? Even a toddler would know when to cross or not!”

Upon hearing his choice of words, I furrowed my eyebrows, and instead of feeling sorry for what I’ve done, I had the sudden urge to stand up against him because there was something in the way he said those words that made me feel annoyed, even bring up the topic about my mother.

I laid my hands on the ground for support to help me stand up. After dusting my pants, I took a deep breath, my back facing the man.

“I’m not stupid and more importantly, I don’t want to die.” I told him, gritting my teeth together as I tried suppressing my anger, but I wasn’t able to hold it in any longer. “Unfortunately, my mother didn’t teach me how to cross the street so I’m sorry if a toddler is smarter than I actually am but… don’t go around calling people stupid like you’re the only rational person in this world!!!”

I turned around to face the man who sounds so arrogant back there, my hands clenched into fists as I opened my mouth to lecture him further.

But my face turned pale when I saw who he really was, and by the look on his face, he seems to have recognized me as well.

His eyes widened, pointing his index finger at me as he confidently stated, “You! Twenty million Won girl!”

For a moment back there, the cars were honking their horns because of the traffic I’ve caused, and because of the people surrounding us after seeing how I almost got into an accident. The police haven’t arrived yet, but they would’ve gotten the message by now. I wouldn’t want to be late for my class and be questioned any longer, so I was thinking of running away.

But I have to deal with Mr. Big Head first.

I decided to pretend that I didn’t know him. I crinkled my eyebrows out of puzzlement as I pursed my lips, acting like I wasn’t twenty million won girl. And since when has my debt been doubled!?

“Twenty million Won girl?” I lied, laughing as if I found his accusation foolish. I shook my head, pretending to be clueless. “What are you talking about?”

“You were the one who scratched my car.” He retorted, moving a few steps forward with a smirk on his face. As he closed his distance from mine, I moved a few steps back, seeming to have faltered in front of his charismatic presence. The act didn’t seem to have worked either, so rather than facing my problems, I ran away from it.

Since he was off-guard back there, I ran away from him in order to avoid any further confrontation. I mean, come on! Where am I supposed to get twenty million Won!?

Just when I thought I had lost him on my way to school, I heard him shout.

“It’s you! I know it’s you! Pay me back!!!”

Panting, I glanced back to see him a few meters away from me. I cried out, “Get away from me!!! I don’t have your ten million Won!!!”

It feels like Monday night all over again.

♪♥♪


@cassettetapesxo: Hihi I'm glad you liked the car scene. Hope you like the other car scene here in this chapter. :)

@hellogenie59: Thank you~ sorry for the late update. :)

@khlozzer: Yes, I'm pairing SHINee members with F(x) members but I can't get all the members to pair up together in this story. But because you requested TaeLli, I'll sneak them in here. ;) and thank you. :)

@iamgianna: Updated. :)

@ninnetecollusa: Updated. :)

Since I wasn't able to include the other teasers here in this chapter, I'll include them in the next chapter. :D

♥SAB