Krriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggg.....................

The noise of an alarm clock at 6:45 in the morning woke Kim Jyoung Mi, a 16-year-old KHU student, up from her sleep.

She got out of bed drowsily, took a shower, brushed her teeth, changed into her school uniform, ate breakfast and walked to school.

" Boring~ ", thought Ji Young as she locked her door and set off for KyungHee Univeristy.

" It's always the same old thing everyday. Get up, get freshened up, eat breakfast, go to school, come home. Repeat this, like, 15 billion times. Daily routine + school x 15 billion times = boring life. ", she muttered to herself.

She reached the university and walked to class, not caring whether girls glared at her and gossiped behind her back. Jyoung Mi knew all those gossips were about her anyway.

" Oh, look. The anti-social is here. "

" Geez, her attitude really pisses me off. "

" Who isn't pissed off at her attitude!? Even the teachers are at the end of their rope! She's driving them up the wall! "

" Avoid her. She won't talk to us anyway. "

Jyoung Mi rolled her eyes and went to her locker. Her locker was at the far end of the hall where she liked it to be: away from everyone.

She opened her locker. A pink letter with a rose sat inside. She scoffed as she opened the letter and scanned it. It read:

 

Dear Jyoung Mi,

Would you please go on a date with me?

Lots of love,

Your secret admirer

 

Jyoung Mi snorted, crumpled the letter and tossed it into the rubbish bin. This was the twenty-second letter this month.

Will she ever make it clear to guys that she is not interested in any of them?

She.

DOES.

NOT.

Want.

A.

Boyfriend.

Ever.

She picked her exercise books, her pencil case and a lollipop from her locker. She locked her locker and strode off to class.

She sat at her desk which was near the window at the right-hand side of the class's corner and also away from everyone.

Her classroom had very little students, because not many people were in her age group( 16-19 years of age ). Only a few girls and boys occupied some of the many empty desks.

She sat down at her place and practiced drawing a little. She was just drawing a sunset scenery at a beach when a girl approached her table.

The girl slammed her manicured hand on Jyoung Mi's book. Jyoung Mi gave an exasperated sigh and looked up.

A girl with long, auburn hair and short bangs, stormy blue eyes, blood-red lips and smooth, peach-colored skin stood glaring at her.

It was Kim HyunA, the university's queenka.

" Yah, . ", said HyunA rudely.

" What the do ya want, pimp? ", snapped Jyoung Mi.

HyunA slapped Jyoung Mi across her face hard. A thin, long line of blood flowed from her nose. Jyoung Mi wiped it away like water.

" How dare you!!! ", seethed HyunA.

" Well, you called me a , so I called you a pimp, which you really are. ", shrugged Jyoung Mi.

Another slap, more blood.

" You--you--you--!!! ", growled HyunA.

" HyunA-ah! Yeobo! ", called out a voice.

HyunA turned around and saw her boyfriend L.Joe walking into the class and looking for her with a big smile on his face.

" Yeobo! ", she sang out and ran towards him happily.

They did their little P.D.A. with their kissing, hugging and whispering sweet nothings. Jyoung Mi rolled her eyes and continued drawing.

Love.

Such a complicated and stupid thing.

That's why she hated getting a boyfriend or falling in love.

" Hey. "

She looked up again. A tissue was flying in front of her face. A boy with blond hair and a sweet face held out a tissue for her.

" Whaddya want? ", she asked monotonously.

" Here. Take this tissue and wipe your nose. I'm sorry about Hyun Ah noona. I don't know why she hates you so much. ", apologized the boy.

" Whatever. Thanks. ", sighed Jyoung Mi as she wiped the blood from her nose and threw the tissue in a nearby dustbin.

" By the way, choneun Kim Yoseob imnida. ", smiled the boy politely.

" Yeah, yeah. Choneun Kim Jyoung Mi imnida. ", said Jyoung Mi as she turned back to her sketch.

Just then, the teacher walked in.

" Oh! Mr. Jung is here! See you later, Jyoung Mi-sshi~! ", smiled Yoseob and went back to his seat.

" Whatever. ", thought Jyoung Mi as she rolled her eyes and stopped drawing.

She unwrapped her lollipop, leaned back in her chair and paid attention to the boring lesson.

This was going to be another boring day...

**********

At break, Jyoung Mi started drawing again. This time, she was drawing a girl sitting on a windy hill looking out at the big, blue sea.

HyunA approached her table again. She slammed Jyoung Mi's book shut.

" What the did you that for, huh?! ", shouted Jyoung Mi as she shot up from her seat.

" What did you tell Seobie, huh?! ", demanded HyunA as she jabbed a manicured fingernail at Jyoung Mi's chest.

" Seobie? ", asked Jyoung Mi, confused.

" Don't act idiotic! What did you tell him, eh?! What lies about me did you utter to my adopted brother, huh?! HUH?! ANSWER ME, YOU ! ", shrieked HyunA as she slapped Jyoung Mi across the face.

HyunA's sharp nails left scratches on Jyoung Mi's cheek.

" Tell me! ", she shrieked as she raised her hand to send another slap.

Jyoung Mi just closed her eyes as she braved for the next stinging blow.

But it never came.

She opened her eyes and saw Yoseob holding HyunA's hand tight. HyunA looks shocked and surprised and Yoseob is glaring at her.

" Seobie-ah...what-- ", stuttered HyunA, but Yoseob cut her off.

" DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER, NOONA! I MAY NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT JYOUNG MI-SSHI, BUT I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO HIT HER ANYMORE! ", shouted Yoseob.

HyunA wrenched her hand out of her adopted brother's grasp, huffed and stormed off.

" Jyoung Mi-sshi, are you alright? ", asked Yoseob worriedly as he dabbed at her scratches.

" Ne. ", she answered flatly.

She grabbed her books and pencil case and stuffed them into her bag. She flung the bag over her shoulder and walked out of class.

" Hey, wait! Jyoung Mi-sshi, where are you going??? ", asked Yoseob as he followed her out.

" Home. ", she answered in a flat voice.

" But--but Mr. Jung said we have a History test today! You'll be in big trouble if you go home! ", cried Yoseob.

" I don't care about a ing test. I'm going home. ", she snapped and walked off.

As Jyoung Mi walked away, Yoseob watched her retreating figure. His mind was filled with questions.

Why was she so cold towards people?

He had seen her in university for so many years and she still never talked to anyone. Jyoung Mi fascinated him in a way.

**********

Jyoung Mi went in the direction of her house. She came to a junction and walked off in the opposite direction to a deserted basketball court.

She ed her school shirt and threw it into her bag. She had a black tank top underneath, so it didn't matter much.

She took off her school skirt and threw it into the bag also. She wore black sports tights underneath her skirt.

She changed from her school shoes to a pair of worn-out sneakers. She grabbed an old basketball from her bag.

Shrugging as she brushed her hair away from her scratched cheeks, she began practicing by herself. She dribbled, dunked and bounced the ball like an expert.

But she wasn't even halfway through her practice when she heard the rumbling of thunder. She looked up. Rain clouds gathered over her head. Streaks of lightning flashed through the sky.

Jyoung Mi quickly stopped, packed her basketball away, hoisted her bag over her shoulders and ran out of the court.

But on the way, it began to drizzle. A drop struck the tip of her slender nose. Another hit her scratched cheek. She winced as the drop slid across her scratches, but she ignored the sting.

Suddenly, it poured. Jyoung Mi couldn't even see in front of her.

She shielded herself with her bag and continued running.

Her eyes caught sight of a sheltered house. She ducked under the roof near the gate.

" Probably the owners aren't in. There's no light in the house. Oh, well, I suppose they won't mind if I stand here and wait for the rain to let up a little. ", thought Jyoung Mi.

She waited for a solid 20 minutes before she gave up. She prepared to run again through the heavy rain when a voice stopped her.

" Jyoung Mi-ah~ ", whispered the voice.

Jyoung Mi stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around. There was no one next to her.

So, who was calling her?

She shrugged it off and was about to run again, when the same voice called her in the same whispery way.

" Jyoung Mi-ah~ "

" Holy ! Is this place haunted?! ", thought Jyoung Mi with a shiver.

" Ani. This place isn't haunted and no swearing. ", whispered the voice as if it could read her thoughts.

" Oh, my gawd! ", thought Jyoung Mi and made a dash for it.

" Jyoung Mi-ah, don't go~ ", whispered the voice as it faded as she got further from the house.

Jyoung Mi ran all the way back to her house, hurriedly unlocked it and bolted inside. She padlocked it and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

She went to the bathroom, hung her wet clothes up to dry, hung her bag to dry out and she wiped her basketball dry and took a hot shower.

She went to her room, grabbed her iPod and listened to some music as she plopped herself down on her bed.

" What just happened at that house? Creepy... ", thought Jyoung Mi.

She felt her eyelids grow heavy and before she knew it, she had dozed off.

 

**********

 

Jyoung Mi found herself in a field. A field full of grass and flowers. A vast blue sea rolled out behind her.

 

" Wow~ Where am I? ", she thought.

 

" You're in Paradise, Jyoung Mi. ", said a deep voice.

 

Jyoung Mi turned around and saw a boy wearing a white tuxedo standing behind her. He had a sharp jawline, slight cheekbones, flawless skin, jet-black hair, stunning eyes and a well-built body.

 

In short, he looked like a handsome god.

 

" Who are you? I'm not dead, am I? How do you know my name? ", she asked confused.

 

" I am someone who you might just fall in love with and no, you're not dead and I shall not tell you how I know your name. ", smiled the handsome stranger.

 

" Pfftt~ Yeah, right. I'll never fall in love. You don't know anything about me, mister. ", she scoffed.

 

" We will find out about you, Jyoung Mi. ", said the stranger.

 

" What do you mean we? ", asked Jyoung Mi as she scratched her non-itchy head.

 

As if answering her question, about 14 more equally handsome guys stepped out from behind the beautiful stranger.

 

" What the....? ", thought Jyoung Mi as her jaw dropped.

 

No, not because she was awed by the guys'  hotness, but because she was dumbfounded at the number of boys.

 

" We'll see you again soon, Jyoung Mi. ", smiled the boy and they all disappeared in a blink of an eye.

 

**********

 

Jyoung Mi awoke with a start. She was still in her room on her bed with her iPod plugged in her ears. She looked at the time.

7:59 PM?! So late!?

She got home at around 11:56 AM and now, it was 7:59 PM?! What happened to her clock? Was it broken again?

She looked out her window. It was already night.

" What was that weird dream? And did I really sleep for 8 hours? ", she thought as she got out of bed.

She went to the kitchen to make herself dinner. She took out instant ramen from a cupboard and boiled some water.

When the water had finished boiling, she took it off the stove and was about to pour the water into the packet of ramen when she heard a frantic knock at the door.

" Who in the world could that be? ", she thought as she set the kettle down.

She opened the door and a wet, young man fell at her feet unconscious.

Jyoung Mi got scared out of her wits. She knelt beside the boy and felt his pulse.

He was still breathing. He wasn't sick. So why did he collapse?

Jyoung Mi looked out of the door and saw a hairy creature with glowing red eyes wandering outside in the rain.

The beast locked its gaze onto her and dashed for the house.

Thinking quick, Jyoung Mi dragged the unconscious boy into the house and slammed the door shut. The creature slammed its weight against the door, but Jyoung Mi pushed against the door harder. She could feel the jerk of the door as it withstood the force of the beast's body slamming against it.

" Grrrrrrraaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhh!!!!!! ", came a horrible grunting sound from the creature outside.

" ! ! , aniyo! ", screamed Jyoung Mi in fright.

" Grrrraaarrrrrgggaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!! ", grunted the creature again.

The door splintered as it slammed itself into the door again. Jyoung Mi cut her finger on a wood splinter, but she didn't notice it.

A hairy hand burst through one of the cracks. It smelt of mud, dew and pine trees.

" !!! !!! !!! HOLY ING , NOOOOOOOO!!!!! ", shrieked Jyoung Mi as she pushed against the door harder.

Suddenly, a burst of light energy shot out from somewhere and struck the beast on the arm. The singed smell of hair could be made out.

The beast howled in pain and retreated into the dark, rainy night.

Jyoung Mi panted and heaved a sigh of relief as she turned to face the boy she rescued from the beast. He was now standing and wisps of smoke wafted from his hands.

" Omo! Did you burn yourself?! ", she asked in shock as she held the boy's hands and inspected it.

No, there weren't any burns. How strange.

She looked up at the boy. He was wet. But his beauty could be seen.

He had light brown hair, a petite body, a short stature, light skin and he was slightly muscular. He had hazelnut brown eyes, a sharp and slender nose and beautiful lips the color of light salmon.

" Are you alright? ", she asked the lovely stranger in front of her.

" Ne. Gomawo. If you didn't save me, I would've been dead by now. ", smiled the boy, baring his lovely pearly whites.

" It's nothing. ", answered Jyoung Mi.

The boy shivered a little.

" Oh, you're cold. Wait here. ", said Jyoung Mi.

She went to her room, opened her closet and brought out a thick, big towel. She brought it to the boy and wrapped him up, so that he wouldn't catch a chill.

" Are you alright? ", asked Jyoung Mi.

" Ne. Gomawo. ", smiled the boy gratefully.

Jyoung Mi got up, went to the kitchen and made her ramen. She brought it out to the living room. She offered it to the new boy. He accepted it and ate ravenously.

Jyoung Mi made another ramen for herself. As she ate, the new boy studied her features.

She had a beautiful face, a slender and sharp nose, flawless peach skin, perfect cheekbones, luscious lips, chocolate brown eyes, long lashes and a beautiful figure.

" Choneun Kim Ryeowook imnida. ", smiled the boy.

" Choneun Kim Jyoung Mi imnida. ", answered Jyoung Mi with full.

Ryeowook smiled as he tucked a stray strand of hair covering her face behind her ear. But he got a little scared when Jyoung Mi frowned at his touch.

" Don't touch me. ", said Jyoung Mi.

" Mianhae, Jyoung Mi-sshi. I was just trying to put a strand of hair behind your ear. ", said Ryeowook.

" Well, don't the next time. I hate skinship. ", said Jyoung Mi as she finished eating the last strands of ramen.

" Why don't you like skinship? ", asked Ryeowook.

" It's a personal matter. ", grumbled Jyoung Mi who was growing angry by the second.

This Ryeowook boy was starting to snoop his nose into her personal life. It was getting on her nerves. Plus, her life is private.

" Can we become chingus? ", asked Ryeowook, trying to change the subject.  " We can share about each other's life and we-- "

" I'm not interested. ", snapped Jyoung Mi who was already pissed off with this boy's curiosity.

" But-- "

Jyoung Mi shot up from the couch and lost her cool.

" I said I'm not interested! ", shouted Jyoung Mi angrily.

" I--I was only trying to be a friend! ", stuttered Ryeowook nervously.

" A friend? Huh! So you can just stab me in the back later and leave me!? No thanks! "

With that, she stormed off in a towering rage. Ryeowook just stood there rooted to the ground.

Why was she being like this?

What is there about her that made him feel pity for her?

Jyoung Mi stormed up to her room, slammed the door shut, pulled the blanket over her and cried softly.

No one has ever gone that far to ask her whether she could share her life with them.

It was personal.

Too sad.

She heard a patter of feet coming up the stairs. She shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. But she felt tears wet her pillow.

She heard her door creak open and a shuffling of feet. She felt a weight near her.

" Mianhae, Jyoung Mi-sshi. Mianhae. Jeongmal mianhae. ", whispered Ryeowook's voice sadly.

Jyoung Mi couldn't ignore his apology. She sat up and looked at Ryeowook.

His head was bowed down and teardrops fell from his eyes.

" Hey, don't cry. Mianhae, Ryeowook-sshi. ", said Jyoung Mi.

Ryeowook fell into her arms crying softly. Jyoung Mi felt like crying at that moment. The sniffles and sobs reminded her of someone close to her heart...

" Why don't you sleep here for the night? It's too late to go back. ", asked Jyoung Mi.

" Gomawo. ", smiled Ryeowook as he rubbed his eyes.

" Sorry I don't have clothes for you. My clothes are all small. ", apologized Jyoung Mi.

" Nah, it's fine. ", smiled Ryeowook.

Jyoung Mi laid out a mattress for Ryeowook in her room. She gave him a pillow and an extra blanket. Ryeowook laid down and fell asleep instantly.

" Good night, Ryeowook-sshi. ", whispered Jyoung Mi as she turned off the light and fell asleep herself.