Proposal Proper
Unusual Proposal
Huff-puff. Huff-puff. I deeply sighed while walking towards my childhood sweetheart who was busy reading a Japanese manga which she purchased online. She was the school nerd. She maybe the most nerds of all nerds but hell, she’s a walking encyclopedia. Yes, she may be two years younger than I am; we graduated at the same time because she was accelerated.
She was a young President of a publishing company while I was one of the most sought after model of the generation. My schedule was jam-packed today. I couldn’t even have coffee break. But I just reasoned out to meet up with my Taeyon. She was under the old oak tree which witnessed our love story.
So let Choi Minho (that’s me, fellas) narrates how our wonderful love story began.
My father who was then a model met my mother who is Taeyon’s mom best friend. They were like school buddies. Only the three of them though. Taeyon’s father, the man who gave Taeyon’s intelligence came in the picture before they all went to Seoul to Attend College. So there and then, my Parents became a couple and married two years after college. They had my elder brother; Minseok after two years of marriage. Taeyon’s parents on the other hand married a year ahead of mine. But they only had Taeyon two years after I was born. From what I heard from my mom, Taeyon’s mother experienced miscarriages before successfully bearing Taeyon. Taeyon’s mom who was my second mother almost died when Taeyon was delivered. Actually, Taeyon’s a miracle baby. She was three weeks ahead of her due date. Everybody (as they often told us) expect that Taeyon will eventually die. But luckily enough for all of us, Taeyon fought against early death and lived happily with us.
When we are growing up, Taeyon and I were often together. I was intently looking at her. She has poor eyesight ever since I remembered. When we start studying, she was at the same level at me right away since she’s exceptionally intelligent. But to my dismay, she was harshly bullied. She will cry on the corner while I try my very best to defend her. I was eight and she was six when I solemnly promised her that no matter what happen, I will protect her. And that’s what I did. I do protect her. I was a big hunk even back when were junior high. I was a varsity player. And Taeyon serves as the school’s resident journalist. She was my best friend. Everybody knew that. She was always in my sight.
But one day, when I was busy practicing swimming, Taeyon was bullied to death by the university cheerleaders lead by my self-proclaimed number one fan, Jung Krystal. I didn’t know what exactly happened but when Jonghyun, My soccer buddy came rushing inside the gymnasium yelling;
“Froggy!!!!”
Aish! That nickname again! I looked at him. He was panting hard. And I admit he really looked like a long lost puppy. Ha-ha. He held his chest tightly, pointed his short limbs outside and say;
“Huff… Taeyon… Lee Taeyon. Was being beaten by Krystal.”
I hurriedly take my body out of the water; took my robe and went out finding Taeyon’s things scattered all over the wet grassy soccer field of our school. My big eyes narrowed then I saw Krystal waving Taeyon’s precious Harry Potter Book in the air while Taeyon, my sweet little Taeyon was silently crying down on the ground without her glasses on begging;
“No. Please. Not that one.”
Krystal evilly laughed and mocked;
“Ow, the nerd could see? Why don’t you get up there and take it away from me?”
I saw Taeyon tried her best to stood up but the moment she got on her feet, Krystal threw the thick book to Taeyon which made me a mad cow and rage in fuming;
“BACK OFF, BULLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The crowding cheerleader circling Taeyon moved aside as they heard my scary voice. Jonghyun, with his Lover, Key was following me as I start to command;
“Pick up her things and give it back to me!”
No one dared to move. I looked at them one by one as my soccer teammates slowly pick up Taeyon’s scattered things and put inside her muddy bag while I carried her bridal style as I said;
“No one will bully her you got me? No one! Even you, Jung!”
Krystal smirked and said;
“I can bully everyone I want, Choi. I am the heiress of the school.”
“You were just the daughter of the directress, Jung. But my family was a major stock holder in this school. You don’t have the right to bully everyone you want just because you are the heiress. You are not God. And Taeyon is much precious than you were to be bullied!”
“You are defending that freak?”
I got angrier and put Taeyon down, rage towards her; angrily pointed my index finger to her while telling her strongly;
“Call her freak once again then I’ll gladly forget that girls should be respected!”
“But what can you do if she’s really a freak?”
When I heard that, I pushed Krystal on the ground telling everybody;
“Dare to bully Lee Taeyon and you’ll meet hell in me!”
After the said incident, I got suspended. Taeyon blamed herself but its fine as long as she was not being bullied, I will gladly hurt anyone, have my suspension rather than seeing her cry. I don’t know how long I learned to love her. But what I knew next is that, I asked her to be my girl under that oak tree when we are in our last year of junior high. And up to now. Now I realized why our mothers often say during our childhood days;
“That two will create a great couple.”
And yes, we did become the great couple our mothers talked about. Everyone in the world I was revolving to often asked me why Taeyon. I will just smile and say that it’s her heart I loved not the fact that she was a nerd, a freak or whatsoever. I loved her. PERIOD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat beside her; kissed her cheeks as she chuckled looking at me. She was wearing kinda thick glasses but not as thick as she used to wear before. It was just. Whatever! It was just a reading glass supporting the clear graded contacts she was wearing. She put my written poem on a piece of a cardboard on the page of the book and closed it asking me;
“I thought you have a jam-packed schedule?”
“I do. It was just my break.”
I said. She smiled and leaned her head on my broad chest telling me sweetly;
“Happy anniversary, babe”
I kissed her head and told her;
“Listen Tae---”
She sat straight. Looked at me straight in the eyes while I was carefully saying;
“I wanted to end this----”
Her eyes become teary and asked me tearfully;
“Why? What did I do? After all this years? After all we’ve been through?”
I cupped her face; wiped her tears and sighed as I say;
“I don’t wanna be your boyfriend anymore…..”
She cried harder. Starts to punch my chest and mumbled;
“I loved you… I couldn’t imagine fame was getting to your head.”
“It’s was not about my fame okay?”
She stood up, gathered her things and shouted which earned us a sudden look from the passerby’s. ‘That’s Choi Minho and his girlfriend right?’ that’s what I heard while Taeyon starts to fume;
“Then what is it? You finally realized that you don’t deserve a freak like me?”
“Stop calling yourself a freak. You weren’t a freak okay?”
She starts to walk away as I scratched my head telling her;
“Can you just let me finish first?”
She walked fast as one cute little kid gave her a stem of a white rose. She accepted it and walks. After a while, a couple of kids gave her the same flower. She was surprised.
“Tae~~~”
The moment I called her, she even walks faster. I bit my lips as she was being given another dozen of white roses. Jeez, it was going to an end but I can’t still tell her what I want to say. I walk faster to level her. I grabbed her hands and say;
“Listen to me first okay?”
“No. you wanted to end it right? Then fine, it’s----”
She couldn’t continue what she was about to say when she was welcomed by a big hanging tarp held by colorful heart balloons saying;
“A BOY AND A GIRL CAN BE JUST FRIENDS. BUT AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER, THEY WILL FALL FOR EACH OTHER. MAYBE TEMAPORARILY, MAYBE AT THE WRONG TIME MAYBE TOO LATE OR MAYBE FOREVER.”
After reading the first tarp, she starts to walk again. hell, we’re reaching to that certain place! No…
“Taeyon, listen to me, please!”
“No! why would I still listen?”
“I needed to tell you something. Lend me your ears please?”
She shook her head as she stopped infront of a tarp again. With a beautiful quote saying:
“LOVE IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE OUTER APPEARANCE. IT IS MOSTLY ABOUT THE INNER APPEARANCE.”
That’s the second to the last tarp! My god! She was way too stubborn! Does she had her monthly visit? Sheez. I got irritated wlak fatser than she is and hissed at Taeyon for the first time telling her;
“Can you just ing listen to me?”
“FINE! I will listen! Tell me quick!”
I sighed as I asked her while gesturing the men I hired for this ing plan of mine who is near to destroy! I didn’t plan it too well.
“Do you know why I wanna end this?”
“You don’t love me! You really don’t love me at all!”
I shook my head. Cupped her face and sweetly say while putting a blind fold on her eyes;
“I wanted to cut my role in your life as your boyfriend because…..”
I looked back and saw that it was already set. I took off the blind fold and let her see my effort; it was letter cut outs saying;
“I WANTED TO BE CALLED YOUR HUSBAND. WILL YOU MARRY ME?”
She was stunned. Everybody inside the park clapped as Taeyon’s beautiful eyes shed a couple of tears asking me;
“You love me?”
I laughed and kiss the tip of her nose saying;
“You know I really do. I’ve planned this for a month. And you kinda ruined it.”
“But it pulled through.”
She said. I knelt down took a red velvet box from my pocket and opened it infront of her eyes. It was a ring. A Diamond ring. It’s our family’s heirloom. It was from my late grand grandmother.
“Marry me?”
She nodded as she says;
“You know I will…..”
I kissed her lips sweetly as everybody clapped their hands happily. I ended the kissed and announced to everybody while putting the ring;
“Choi Minho loved Lee Taeyon dearly!”
Most of the crowd just cheered while I hugged Taeyon quite tight; we heard Key saying;
“We know right.”
I know, I failed portraying the perfect proposal every girl wants but I wanted my proposal to be unique and unusual. Every story has an end but in life, every end is a new beginning. Taeyon and I ended our boyfriend-girlfriend relationship but we are starting a new life together being engaged with each other.
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