Taeyeon trudged through the doors of the school slowly, her book bag swinging loosely from her hands.

“My stupid stepbrother skipped school,” she mumbled. Being that it was the end of the day, she had heard of how Yonghwa walked out of class.

Now she has to take the bus home, buy groceries, finish homework, and study for the rest of the night. She was one of those kids- those kids who had no social life at all. And she didn’t understand it.

She poured time and energy into maintaining the top position in her graduating class while Yonghwa easily perched there.

Yes, sadly, they were both tied for number one.

Her mother expected her to work her off and receive the best grades, get into the top college in Seoul or perhaps go to Harvard, marry rich, and give her lots of money.

All in all she was a tool.

Taeyeon’s never had a boyfriend because her mother forbade those “evil forces of distraction”. And yet her mother let Yonghwa run around all night with girls.

Taeyeon’s also never experienced the typical teenage feeling of “love”. What was “love”?

Distracted in her thoughts, Taeyeon blindly turned the corner and ended up sprawled across the tiled floor.

And the person she had run into was none other than Jonghyun. Of all people it would be Jonghyun, she sighed.

“My bad,” he grinned as he held out a hand to her and pulled her up with ease. “You looked… distracted.”

“Ah. Yeah.” She shifted her weight around, feeling uneasy because of the whispering that was picking up.

“Where are you going?” He continued conversing with her, either oblivious to the talk around them or simply ignoring them.

“Home.” She quickly started walking.

To her surprise, Jonghyun trotted beside her. “Do you take the bus home?”

“Um. Yeah.”

“You’re acting just like Yonghwa.”

“Excuse me?”

“Y’all both give short answers when you don’t feel like talking.”

She used her free hand to wave at the crowd of gossiping girls. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk, but um…”

“How about we go get something to eat?”

“Again?”

“Yes! Please?”

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They had that same pleading puppy-dog look that they had last time when food was mentioned.

Man, this boy and his food…

Should she say yes?

What if her mother found out that she was spending her studying time with a boy?

And a gangster boy at that?

Taeyeon actually rather enjoyed Jonghyun’s company. He was entertaining and always found a way to keep the conversation flowing smoothly. Hm..

“Jonghyun Oppa!” A junior came up and latched onto his arm, smiling sweetly up at him.

“Ah. Hyuna... Anneong…” He glanced awkwardly at Taeyeon, who was busy staring at something outside the window.

“Let’s go play!” Hyuna tugged playfully on his arm.

Taeyeon picked up her speed and brushed past them, heading for the bus stop.

“Taeyeon!” She heard Jonghyun call her name and refused to turn around. A few minutes later he huffed as he caught up to her, slightly out of breath. “Sorry about that!”

“Aren’t you… going to go hang out with her?” Taeyeon asked carefully, her finger running over the smooth edge of the rail.

“Nope. I told her I had important plans already,” he smiled.

“Important plans?”

“I’m hanging out with you! Of course that’s an important plan!” He wrinkled his nose indignantly. “Right?”

How cute. Taeyeon couldn’t help but let a smile escape her lips after hearing his words.  

“Fine. We’ll go grab some food to eat,” she rolled her eyes and followed the beaming Jonghyun to his bike.

This was new. A month ago she would never had imagined herself on the back of a boy’s motorcycle, going out to eat together. Heck, a month ago she didn’t even have a guy friend.

Friend.

He’s her friend, right?

And she’s his friend, right?

Hm. She should ask him about this later on when they arrive at where ever they were going. Speaking of which, where were they going?

They had driven past the main teenage hang out locations and were speeding down a smaller road away from the city. In fact, they were going toward the mountain.

Mountain…?

“Jonghyun… Oppa!” She had no choice but to yell to get his attention, seeing how her hands were wrapped tightly against his waist.

They were going awfully fast on that bike.

“What?” He screamed back.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!”

So he wasn’t going to tell her. This dork better not do anything suspicious.

They pulled up into an even smaller road and Taeyeon hopped off, dusting her shirt and shorts after the long ride.

“Follow me,” Jonghyun winked as he grabbed her hand and led the way to a small cottage within the trees. “Ahjumma! I’m here!”

“Jonghyun! Is that Jonghyun?” A middle-aged lady came out from the back of the house, her hands covered with flour. “Omo, it really is Jonghyun! With a girl, too!”

“Anneonghaseyo,” Taeyeon bowed.

“Sit, sit!” The joyous lady pulled out some chairs and placed them near a large table that appeared to be made out of a trunk of a very big tree.

“This is my friend Taeyeon,” Jonghyun introduced them after they were settled. “And this Ahjumma here cooks the best food in town.”

“Oh stop it, you silly. I’m not the best cook,” she shook her head, her curly hair bouncing.

“Can we have two bowls of noodles?”

“Of course! Anything for you, Jonghyun.” The lady bent down and whispered into Taeyeon’s ear, “You’re the first girl he’s ever brought here,” and winked before returning to the kitchen.

Taeyeon could feel her face redden as she realized the hidden meaning behind those words.

“What’d she say?” Jonghyun asked, feeling left out of the loop.

“Nothing. Anyways, how’d you find out about this place?”

Taeyeon was impressed. The cottage had a homey feeling to it and was extremely comfortable. The atmosphere was cozy and it was… random. It was in the middle of nowhere.

“One day I was walking around town and I saw a group of gangsters mobbing a woman. That woman turned out to be Ahjumma and I saved her. She told me about her house and I drove her here… and now I visit at least once a week and she cooks delicious food for me.” He shrugged.

“Aren’t you the hero?” Taeyeon teased.

With a guy as handsome and popular as he was, Taeyeon was surprised to hear that she was the first girl he had brought here. It made her feel… special and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re smiling a lot today,” Jonghyun noted, his eyes twinkling. He had taken notice of Taeyeon since the first day school began but he never had the courage to speak to her.

Yeah, that’s right. Jonghyun, the “Romantic Idol”, didn’t have the guts to speak to a girl.

It had made him sad, however, when he’d realized that she rarely cracked her dazzling smile at school. She seemed so lonely. She was a beauty, no doubt about that. Yet what attracted him to her initially was her kindness. She never failed to comply with a request made by a classmate.

And other guys noticed her as well, much to his annoyance. They would secretly follow her around, and being the dense girl that she was, she never noticed. However, a few days later, the guys would always stop. It was as if someone had forced them to stay away from Taeyeon and Jonghyun was grateful. He didn’t want guys like them to be near a gentle girl like her.

Now here she was, smiling and laughing with him in his secret hideaway that not even Yonghwa and Minhyuk knew about.

“Do you keep count of how many times I smile a day?” She laughed.

“N-no,” he spluttered, earning another laugh from Taeyeon.

She really liked being around this guy. He somehow found a way to make her happy every time he was nearby.

“Hang on,” he said suddenly. “I need to call Yonghwa.”

She nodded as he stepped outside. A few minutes later, he was back.

“Anyways,” Jonghyun’s face perked up like an innocent child. “I have this get to know each other better quiz!”

A get to know each other better quiz? Taeyeon raised her eyebrows skeptically. If he had this quiz ready… then that meant…

“You’ve been planning to ask me to dinner, haven’t you?” She blurted out.

“Wha-no-I mean-well… Kinda? Yeah,” he admitted, his face turning into an even darker shade as he pulled out the paper from his pocket. “Question #1: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?”

“Mint Chocolate Chip,” she replied instantly.

“Favorite color?”

“Hmm… silver,” she decided.

Silver used to be Seohyun’s favorite color…

“Are you ticklish?”

“Extremely. And don’t even think about tickling me,” she glared.

“Favorite snack?”

“Black Bean Noodles!”

“What do you do when you have free time?”

“I study,” she shrugged.

“What a good student,” he muttered before continuing. “If you could trade places with anyone for a week, dead or alive, fiction or real, whom would it be?”

“I would trade places with…” Seohyun, she wanted to say. She would trade places with her sister just to see how she was doing. “I would trade places with… CL from 2NE1 because she’s super legit.”

“What would I find in your refrigerator right now?”

“Food.”

“I wanted specifics, but oh well. Last question- what do you look for in a guy?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

She shrugged. “I never thought about that before.”

Jonghyun stared at her. And kept staring. He had never met a girl like this before. It was interesting.

“My mom’s never allowed me to date,” she clarified. “She wants me to study, get into a good college, and marry rich.”

“And you let her boss you around like that?”

“It’s not like I want to, but if I don’t do what she tells me to do, she’ll send me back to my real father. I’ve never met him before, so I definitely don’t want to live with a stranger…”

Jonghyun nodded. He had heard about how nasty Taeyeon’s mother was through Yonghwa’s complaints. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”

“You have helped! You’re my first friend,” she smiled at him.

Though the words made him immensely happy, he also felt twinges of sadness. Taeyeon was seventeen. If it weren’t for her mother, Taeyeon would be that girl at school whom was loved by everyone because of her bubbly-ness and friendliness. That darn mother… 

Ahjumma returned, carrying two steaming bowls of freshly made and hand stretched noodles, setting them down carefully before them. “Enjoy you two!” She winked at Taeyeon again.

Taeyeon cautiously held a string of noodles up to , blowing on it until she felt that it had cooled enough to be eaten.

“Oh. My. Gosh.” She stared at the bowl. “This is so good!”

“I know right?” Jonghyun had already gulped down half of the food in the time that it had taken Taeyeon to finish one noodle.

By the time they were done, it was already dark outside.

They stood up, set the chairs back, and thanked the lady, who insisted on Jonghyun bringing Taeyeon back soon. Just as they were about to leave however, the door flew open and four guys poured into the room.

“Yah! Old Lady!” The leader shouted, knocking over a chair.

Jonghyun’s arm pulled Taeyeon behind him as he stood before her.

“We’re here to collect our money!” A second guy roared, chuckling with laughter.

“What money?” Jonghyun demanded.

“Who’s this? Someone actually eats here?” They burst into laughter. “This old lady owes us money for living on our land!”

“She owns this land. She’s not living on your land!” Jonghyun was clearly angry.

“This is our territory!” The leader stepped forward with menace. “Bug off, squirt.”

“Why don’t you bug off?” Jonghyun didn’t back down.

“Don’t be like this Jonghyun!” The Ahjumma rushed into the room with a box of money. “These guys are dangerous!”

Before she could hand the money over, Jonghyun snatched it away. “Get lost, freaks.” He placed the box into the lady’s hands and pushed her into the kitchen, telling her to stay there.

“Hello?” The third man picked up his ringing phone. “Idiots.” He turned to the leader. “Those three idiotic guys are flat out drunk.”

“They got drunk?”

“Yeah. And now they’re following some hot chick who’s headed in this direction.”

“Whatever. We have more important business on hand, such as teaching this kid some manners.”

“Go stay with Ahjumma,” Jonghyun whispered to Taeyeon, pushing her farther back. “Don’t come out until I tell you to.”

Though she wanted to help, Taeyeon knew she was useless. And she’d heard enough fight stories from Yonghwa to know that if she stayed, she could prove a threat to Jonghyun by falling into the enemy’s hands. Sighing, she gave him a quick back hug, told him to stay safe, and backed into the kitchen and locked the door.

On the other side, a serious fight had begun. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Super LONG UPDATE :D YAY!

Hope you guys like it!

School's tomorrow...

But in about a month it's Thanksgiving & this year we have an ENTIRE WEEK OFF SCHOOL!

^ This hasn't happened since ELEMENTARY!

YAAAAAAY :D

But it's till like a month away. Blah.

And we have no more breaks until then. Blah.

Anyways, I hope y'all have a super safe and amazing week! <3

rocket_star [block]  on 10-23-2011 06:19:50 says: x
wahhh... cant wait to know more about the history between seohyun n nichkhun!! update soon!!

^^ You'll find out soooon ~ It'll be incorporated within her overall storyline.

hiko27 [block]  on 10-22-2011 23:29:46 says: x
OMFG WHY DID I JUST FIND THIS NOW?! *coughbecauseofschoolstupidcough*

Anywho, I'm not used to a gangster-ish Seohyun but ahhhhhhhh! I can't wait for when Yonghwa finds out that she was Seohyun. And honestly speaking, before you revealed Jjang being Seohyun, I had a feeling it was her. Aigoo, Seohyun was somewhat less violent and prim when she was young, what happened to her? Stupid stepmom. And Yonghwa's dad! OMFG YOU GAVE THE PANTS TO THE WOMAN OF THE FAMILY?! You should have made Seohyun stayed! Though I bet her mom's going to treat her like Cinderella. In conclusion, the stepmom should die xDDD

Sooooo... What else to comment on? OMFG NICHKHUN?! REALLY?! O.o
I might have expected some of her fangirls but lolololol. Who will he pair up with if Seohyun is with Yonghwa? xDDDD

And this might be late but how was your driving test? My friend had his EXACTLY on his birthday. He was that excited. I wanna go get mine and my own car but I haven't even gone to driver's ed D: And wait, you a junior? You said PSAT. AHHHHHH! I'm your sunbae lololol Good luck with school. You won't be able to enjoy the first semester of your senior year xDDD

Hehe Hello! (: 
Seohyun was such an innocent kid when she was young! But then she met Taecyeon and the gang.. who taught her how to fight.. and.. LOL. BAD INFLUENCES xD 

^^ I LOVE YOUR SUPER LONG COMMENT! Nichkhun.. Well.. Hm. I don't know who he'll end up with, if he ends up with anyone at all, haha. 
I'm actually a sophomore, haha. Next semester I'm a junior, since I'm graduating early. 
& My driving test got rescheduled to this friday! >< IM NERVOUSSS AAAAHHH.

lingericious [block]  on 10-22-2011 22:23:24 says: x
Uh oh... TROUBLE! And I love it when I read that Seohyun is not only protecting Yonghwa, but acting as a protective sister... Do tell me if I am wrong, Seohyun is the older sister in this fanfic right? I really want to read how she is going to treat Jonghyun! XD

I LOVE SEOHYUN! ^^ 
& Yes, she's the older sister. She's a year older than Yonghwa and Taeyeon <- those two are the same age. 
Oh man. Poor poor Jonghyun.. [;

rocket_star [block]  on 10-21-2011 07:13:35 says: x
oh no, seohyun is in danger!! yonghwa should hurry before he is too late!

Forreal, right? Three drunken gangsters are following her. This is a perfect chance for him to show her his skills! xD 

lingericious [block]  on 10-21-2011 05:41:35 says: x
Ooooh. So now Yonghwa has to save Seohyun?

Maaybe ~ Hehhee. Imma laugh if he tries to save her.. but something happens and she ends up saving him. But i dunno. I'm still deciding ~