Chapter 3

Humming the song ‘Candy’ from H.O.T, Jaejoong was getting ready for his date with Hyoyeon. He planned to spend the night dancing at club ellui & have lots of fun. He had high hopes that she would be able to drive the disturbing vision of a certain someone out of his mind forever. So, what if he had thought of x dozens of times a day. Jaejoong decided to call the guy on the plane x since he isn’t sure if a transvestite was a he or a she. So, what if he had no memories of how Hyoyeon looked like.

Still humming, Jaejoong grabbed his black michael kors washed denim faux leather jacket & keys & sauntered out of his apartment. He drove to Hyoyeon’s place & honked three times. A girl ran out excitedly & opened the passenger’s seat. A look at Hyoyeon & his hopes plummeted down to the bottom of the sea. Hyoyeon was pretty cute but he found her big, brown, almond-shaped eyes somehow lacking. They didn’t sparkle with optimism & they didn’t radiate innocence like the eyes that haunted him day & night.

“Jaejoong Oppa, are you okay? We could go now.” She said sweetly, but somehow, Jaejoong found her overly sweet voice annoying! What he longed for was a voice tinged with laughter & joy.

Glancing at Hyoyeon, Jaejoong reminded himself, ‘I’m the one who asked her out on this date so I will have to try to have some fun. First date is supposed to bring excitement & thrill. A new adventure.’ So, he put on a smile, grabbed her hand & kiss it. Hyoyeon blushed & giggled. Jaejoong sighed in disappointment & started the car.

After parking his black Audi R8 in front of the packed club, Jaejoong walked inside with Hyoyeon clinging onto his arm. He headed straight to the bar while Hyoyeon was pulling his sleeve, pointing towards the dance floor.

“Oppa, let’s dance first! I like this song!” Hyoyeon whined. Jaejoong cringed inwardly & thought derisively, ‘I could never imagine x whining & clinging onto me.’

“I need a drink first. If you want to dance then go dance by yourself.” Jaejoong said thoughtlessly. Hyoyeon huffed & pouted for a while. Seeing no reaction from Jaejoong, she stomped towards the dance floor. Jaejoong just turned his head to the bartender & signaled for a tequila.

Sipping his tequila, his eyes scanned the crowd. It was packed with girls dressing as minimal as the law allowed & guys happily enjoying the view. Jaejoong used to be part of the crowd. He shook his head & smiled bitterly.

Suddenly, he choked on his beer. He thought he saw x. He was chatting & laughing with a slender girl on the edge of the dance floor. Rubbing his eyes for a clearer vision, Jaejoong ran & made his way towards them. He didn’t even dare to blink his eyes, afraid that he might vanish but Hyoyeon suddenly jumped on his back & kissed his cheeks, giggling “Oppa, I’m so glad you decided to come look for me. Come on, let’s dance.” By the time Jaejoong could escape Hyoyeon’s clutches, x had already disappeared. Jaejoong turned in circle, trying to find him but the club was so packed. He turned to Hyoyeon angrily & yelled, “You made me lose him! I have finally found him & you made me lose him again!”

Hyoyeon stared at Jaejoong with an open mouthed, “You...You lost him? You are looking for a guy? You...You are gay? Kim Jaejoong is gay? But how...how could it be?” She looked at Jaejoong with eyes full of confusion & shock.

Freaking out, Jaejoong shook his head vigorously, “No, no, of course not. I...I’m not gay. Of course, I’m not gay. I...I just drank too much. Let’s go. I will take you home.” Without looking at Hyoyeon, he grabbed Hyoyeon’s arm & walked away from the dance floor & out of the club, still thinking about her words. Meanwhile, Yuri was watching the scenes gleefully, ‘Too bad the good-looking guy was gay.’ She thought. She grinned & shrugged. She put the scene out of her head & headed to where Tiffany, Hyukjae & another guy sat. Earlier that day, Tiffany had asked her to come to the club. Feeling suspicious of Tiffany’s intention, she had coaxed Yoona to spill the beans. After promising Yoona to babysit Minseo for a day next weekend, she found out that Tiffany was trying to set her up with her cousin’s friend’s friend. Tiffany had told the guy that Yuri was a sweet looking girl with a refined manner. So, she decided to embarrass Tiffany & dressed like a biker. She wore no makeup & completed her appearance with smokey blue kenneth cole washed denim & faux leather jacket, white calvin klein skinny jeans & blue bandana on her head. Chewing gums, she approached her shocked friends & the thunderstruck guy & said, “Yo, what’s up? I’m Yuri.” The guy choked on his drink, Tiffany groaned, Hyukjae grinned & Yuri winked.

Jaejoong collapsed on his bed tiredly, feeling more dejected than he had ever been in his life.

He had dated seven woman in the last month & yet, he felt no closer to get the image out of his head, “How could I fall for a girl when in every date all I could think about is x? When all I did was compare all those girls to him? & why, in my eyes, they all fall short? Am I gay? But I have a reputation as a playboy. Can a playboy also be gay? But I have never felt any attraction towards any other guys, only to that one guy.” Jaejoong thumped his head & sighed, “I think I should give up to my fate & accept myself. Damn it, I don’t even know his name or where he lives!”

Feeling restless, Jaejoong abruptly jumped out of the bed & went to the bathroom. He set the shower on icy cold & put his head under the spray. A couple of minutes later, he walked out, feeling a little better. He muttered out loud while reheating some food in the microwave, “I’m so exhausted. Seven gorgeous, attractive girls couldn’t erase his image from my mind. I used to be able to juggle five at a time. What the hell happened to me?! Why can’t I feel remotely attracted to one now?” He straightened his slumping shoulders & said determinedly, “I will give myself a last chance tomorrow. Hopefully, the eighth girl will be able to make me so smitten with her that I could have my normal life back. If not, I would just give it all up & probably join a church.”