Chapter 13: She Is...

“Your brother is cute,” I said to Jae Wook.

“Cuter than me?” Jae Wook pouted.

“Erm…” I contemplated. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” he exclaimed.

“Of course you’re cuter,” I said, and he smiled smugly. “Otherwise I’d be dating your brother instead,” I added, and he frowned at me.

“Girls are so fickle these days,” he grumbled.

“Aigoo…” I teased and pinched him on the cheek.

[Jae Wook’s POV]

Music: Super Junior - You're My Endless Love

I was a little worried. I was worried that Sierra was going to turn around and leave as soon as she got off that bus. Instead, she walked the filthy streets with me, entered my humble apartment, and she even wants to have a meal with me and Jae Joong.

“Where’s your mother?” she asked.

“She’s out, somewhere,” I sighed.

“I see,” she replied, and sensing that I didn’t want to talk about my mother, she didn’t probe further.

“Nuna,” Jae Joong called from the kitchen. “Can you handle spicy food?”

“Not really,” she replied. “Mildly spicy is okay, though.”

“Arasoyo,” he said.

“Can you handle spicy?” she asked me, and I was definitely sensing a pun.

“Oh yeah…” I replied. “I can handle spicy.”

She laughed, covering her face as she did.

“Wae?” I asked her.

“I should’ve had my phone ready for that expression.”

“What expression?”

“That wolf-like expression,” she laughed.

“I do not have a wolf-like expression,” I said.

“Awooo…” Jae Joong howled as he walked out of the kitchen with a tray of side dishes.

“Shut up,” I said, and Sierra was rolling around on the floor, giggling.

“You shouldn’t eavesdrop,” I said to Jae Joong.

“I wasn’t. All I heard was the word ‘wolf’,” he grinned.

“Is this all?” Sierra asked as she studied the dishes that Jae Joong placed, one by one, on the table.

“More… coming soon,” he said, in a deep voice, and smiled.

“You’re amazing!” Sierra said. “I’ve never seen a guy cook like that.”

“Hey… I can do this too,” I protested.

“Then why aren’t you doing it?” she asked.

“I need to entertain you, so he’s doing the cooking on my behalf.”

“I don’t need entertaining. Why don’t you help your brother?”

“He’s never needed my help,” I said.

“Right,” Jae Joong said, sarcastically as he put down a pot of soup on the table mat.

“Miyuk-kuk!” Sierra exclaimed.

“You like seaweed soup?” Jae Joong asked.

“Yea,” she said.

“Then you and hyung are gonna have lots of babies someday,” he laughed.

“Yah…” I said, and smacked his butt half-heartedly.

“Mian… I shouldn’t embarrass you, hyung-su,” Jae Joong said trying not to laugh now.

“Not so soon,” she said. “You can keep calling me nuna for now.”

I lips twitched as I tried not to laugh with Jae Joong. He was really teasing her, but I actually felt happy seeing my brother get along with my girlfriend. Sierra’s being shy about the teasing made me feel that she was in a way more involved in this relationship than I’d expected.

“I like your apron,” Sierra said, admiring Jae Joong’s apron. “I’ve never seen a denim apron before.”

“I can make you one,” he grinned proudly.

“You made it?” she said, in awe.

“Yea. There aren’t that many manly aprons being sold, and if I had to wear one every day, I’d want to look macho,” he laughed.

“It’s really chic,” she said. “If I had one, I’d cook more often too.”

“Make her one, Jae Joong,” I laughed. “I want to taste some of her cooking.

“Okay,” he laughed. “As long as I’m invited too.”

“The day you deliver my apron, I’ll cook you guys a meal,” she said.

“Make sure it’s edible,” I said, and she made a face at me and started picking at the side dishes.

Jae Joong went all out tonight, knowing I had a guest to impress. He made egg rolls, fried chicken and pork ribs to go along with the seaweed soup and side dishes. For dessert, he managed to produce a plate of fruits topped with ice cream, from which the three of us ate directly off.

“Wow…” Sierra gushed. “I can’t move.”

“I’ll have to roll you home then?” I joked, and she punched me lightly on the arm.

“I expect to be carried,” she said.

“I think we’ll need to borrow the neighbor’s truck,” Jae Joong joked.

“Ya…” Sierra exclaimed.

“I think a wheelbarrow is enough,” I said, and that earned me another thump on my arm.

After all that joy and laughter, I knew there had to be an anti-climax for the day. In the midst of our cheerful atmosphere, my mother stumbled into the apartment, drunk, as usual.

“Jae Wook-ah…” she called out as she practically crawled up the step to the living area.

“Oma…” Jae Joong exclaimed in exasperation and went over to help her up.

“Ah… it’s my other son. My other Jae…” she giggled.

“Oma… this is my school mate, Sierra,” I introduced quickly and stood up to help Jae Joong bring her to her room.

“You brought a girl home?” she said, stopping midway towards the room to turn around and eye Sierra.

“Omoni,” Sierra sat up, and gave a little bow while on her knees.

“Hmm…” she laughed. “My son sure knows how to pick ‘em.”

“Let’s put you to bed,” I said.

“Aniya… aniya… nan kwaench’ana. Go sit with your girl,” she said as she tried to brush me off.

“I’ll take care of her,” Jae Joong said.

I sighed and nodded, then closed the room door as soon as Jae Joong and my mother went in.

“Your mother seems nice,” Sierra said.

The whole atmosphere was awkward now. There was a pink elephant in the room, i.e. my mother, and I wasn’t inclined to elaborate.

“She’s having one of her better days,” I smiled grimly.

“Maybe you should help Jae Joong,” she suggested.

“He can handle her,” I said. “He usually does since I work most nights.”

“Did I stop you from working tonight?” she asked me.

“Ani… I just moved here, so I’m still looking for a job,” I said.

“Oh…”

“I know that ‘Oh…’. You don’t have to help me get a job. I’ll find one. Don’t worry,” I said.

“I just…” she said, and bit her lip.

“Don’t call in favors for me, alright?” I said as I reached over to take her hand in mine.

“Araso,” she smiled.

We had another brief moment of silence and I could hear my mother speaking to Jae Joong in her drunken gibberish. It’s been a long time since I felt like this. I thought I’d gotten used to her being like this, but tonight I actually resented her for being like this.

“I should send you home,” I said, as I started to stand up.

“No… it’s alright. I’ll just get my driver to pick me up,” she said.

“I can send you home,” I said.

“Jae Wook,” she said, this time in a firm tone, and I looked at her. “I’ll get home on my own,” she said, and then she leaned over to kiss me softly on the cheek.

“Okay,” I said, touching my cheek and smiling as she pulled away.

She picked up her phone and while she called her driver, I busied myself by cleaning up the dishes.

“He’s here,” she said, moments later.

“Araso,” I said, and dried my hands and joined her at the door to walk her out.

Music: M - Sweet Sound

“Good night,” she said, turning to face me at the entrance of my building.

“Good night,” I said, and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

“Is that all, Mr. Kim?” she smiled.

“Your driver,” I reminded her.

“Ah yes…” she laughed. “See you tomorrow,” she waved and walked towards her car.

“See ya,” I said, and I stood there to watch her car pull away.

I turned around to walk in as soon as her car was out of sight, and I felt a hand tap me on my shoulder. I turned around, and there was a punk-haired guy in a suit whom I’ve never met.

Music: The TRAX - Paradox

“My boss wants to speak to you,” he said.

“Who’s your boss?” I asked him.

“You’ll know when you see him,” he said, and motioned towards a black car waiting at the corner of the street.

Chapter 12: Getting Down And Dirty?

“You guys had better leave,” Hee Chul said. “Ee Teuk might come after Jae Wook again.”

“I can’t run forever,” Jae Wook said. “What about tomorrow?”

“I’ll call his family later,” Hee Chul said. “That loon needs to be put away.”

“You know his family?” Jae Wook asked.

“His father and mine are golfing buddies. I’ll make sure his father talks to him tonight. That usually works.”

“Can I go with nuna?” Sung Min asked.

“You stay here with me,” Hee Chul said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away from Jae Wook and me.

“Let’s go,” Jae Wook said and we started walking.

“See you guys tomorrow,” I waved at Hee Chul and Sung Min.

“Where are we going?” Jae Wook asked.

“Your place or mine?” I asked in return.

“You wanna go to my place?” he said incredulously.

“Why?”

“I live in the slums, Sierra,” he said.

“What slums? There are no slums in Seoul,” I said.

“Sierra… Sierra…” he laughed and slung his arm around my shoulders.

“What?”

“I am now certain that you have been living a very sheltered life,” he said. “Then I guess we should go to my place.”

“Okay…” I said.

“You won’t be okay once we get there…” he said.

“We’ll see,” I said indignantly.

I refused to be scared off. I seriously did not believe that his home was in some kind of slum because I had never seen one before.

“Where are you going?” I asked as he led me past my car, which was waiting in front of the school gates.

“You, Miss Sierra, need a dose of common life. We’re taking the bus,” he said.

“I don’t have a T-Money card,” I said.

“Ah… at least you know you need one,” he laughed.

“I may be pampered, but I’m not totally ignorant,” I huffed.

“At least you know you’re pampered,” he added.

“I’m going home,” I said, turning the other way.

“Hajima…” he coaxed, and caught my hand in his. “I won’t make fun of you anymore.”

“You’d better,” I said, glaring at him with the corner of my eye.

“Araso, araso,” he said, hugging me with one arm. “Kaja…”

Music: Clazziquai Project – Romeo N Juliet

We took a short walk to the bus stop near our school and hopped onto the bus.

“You can pay your fare with coins,” he said, in a tone a teacher would use on a pre-schooler, and dropped some coins into the till.

“That’s one…” I warned, and he grinned.

The bus was quite full, and we had to stand the entire journey.

“Hang on to me,” he said as he held on to the bar and pulled one of my arms to wrap around his waist.

“If this wasn’t obviously a method of keeping me safe, I’d think that you were trying to take advantage of me,” I said as I put both arms around his waist.

“Hey… all couples ride the bus like this,” he said, and nudged me to towards the direction of another couple.

Instead of the guy holding onto the girl, they’d found a corner where they could stand and snuggle. Both guy and girl had their arms wrapped around each other, and not long after, they started necking.

“Omigod… get a room,” I whispered.

“Shh…” he said. “You don’t want him to punch me for having a nosy girlfriend.”

“You’ve taken one for me. Another would be a piece of cake,” I said, smiling smugly.

“Sure…” he sighed. “Piece of cake…”

The bus got more and more crowded. At one point, a group of sweaty football players got onto the bus. We were all sandwiched together, and the sweaty guys were surrounding us.

“I can’t breathe,” I whispered at Jae Wook.

“Just a few more stops,” he said, and grimaced when the bus jerked and the sweaty people around us were squashed further against us.

I wrapped my arms tighter around Jae Wook and pressed my face to his chest. Thank god he smelled nice. I inhaled the clean scent of his shirt, trying to drown the smell of sweat at grime which wafted around the bus.

“That was fun,” he said, as soon as we jumped off the bus at our stop.

“Fun?” I glared at him.

“I had fun,” he grinned mischievously.

“Sure you did. We were pressed against each other from head to toe. Of course it was fun for you,” I said.

“At least I’m vocal with my appreciation,” he laughed. “Let’s go now… it’s just another 10 minutes from here.”

It was then that I’d noticed where I was. He was right, it was the slums.

“This is the main street, so it’s a little well-kept compared to my street,” he said.

If he considered this well-kept, I cannot imagine what his street looked like. These were old buildings, really old buildings. The paint was peeling off the walls, trash cans overflowing with rubbish, clothes hung out of the windows on the dilapidated balconies.

We turned the corner and I was startled when a dog rushed out and barked ferociously. Jae Wook swung his backpack at the dog and yelled at it. His scare tactic worked, and the dog backed off with its tail between its legs.

“You’re afraid of dogs?” he asked me.

“Only stray beasts,” I said.

“That’s the only one here. I think he does it as a game, to see how many people he could scare each day,” Jae Wook smiled and rubbed my shoulder to calm me down.

We finally reached his building, and my first reaction was to thump him on the arm when I saw it.

“Yaa…” he exclaimed and rubbed his arm.

His house was the nicest one on the street. It was actually a small apartment block which was done up recently.

“You said the main street was better-kept than yours,” I said.

“I said the street,” he laughed. “Let’s go up.”

“There had better be no more surprises,” I said.

“Yes, your highness…” he smiled, and held my hand as we walked up the stairs.

2 flights of stairs later, we arrived at the door of his apartment.

“Tada!!!” he announced as he flung open the door.

We took off our shoes and took a step up. A small table sat in the middle of the living cum dining room. His living room was smaller than my bathroom.

“That’s the bathroom,” he said, pointing to one of the 3 closed doors. “My mother’s room, and this room, I share with my brother,” he said and opened the door.

Inside were 2 thin mattresses on the floor, 2 pillows and 2 sets of blankets neatly folded at the foot of the mattresses.

“You have a brother?” I asked.

“Yea.”

“I’ve never seen him in school,” I said.

“He doesn’t go to our school,” he said. “His results didn’t qualify him a spot.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said. “My father is on the school board. He could’ve gotten your brother in.”

“I just didn’t think it was the right time. I’m not the kind to ask for favors from someone I’ve just met.”

“Well… ask me when you get to know me better then,” I smiled.

“Hyung?” a shirtless guy suddenly popped his head out of the bathroom.

Music: Sorea - 이 노래를 부를게요 (I Would Sing This Song)

I quickly covered my eyes, and he covered his chest with his arms.

“Jae Joong,” Jae Wook laughed. “This is Sierra. Sierra… this is my brother, Jae Joong.”

“Hi,” Jae Joong squeaked and shut the door.

“Have a seat,” Jae Wook said as he gestured to the cushions on the floor.

I sat down and Jae Wook placed a glass of water in front of me.

“So what do you want to eat?” he asked me.

“You’re cooking me dinner?”

“No…” Jae Joong said as he walked out of the bathroom, “I am.”

“My brother does most of the cooking around here,” he said.

“You mean you can’t cook?” I asked.

“Of course I can,” he said.

“Yea… ramyun…” Jae Joong snickered.

Jae Wook and his brother were tall, slim, fair, and very, very good looking. What made them both more endearing were their slightly flawed beauty; birthmarks on their fair and flawless skin.

“Ya! When you were a baby, I was the one who made your ch’uk every day,” Jae Wook said.

“Yes… and I’ve never heard the end of it. Ever since I could reach the stove, I’ve cooked you rice every day,” Jae Joong countered.

“Ya… ima…” Jae Wook said.

“Ok… stop… stop… keumanhae… I’m dying of hunger while the both of you fight,” I laughed.

“What would you like, nuna?” Jae Joong asked.

“Whatever you can make me,” I said.

“Okay…” he smiled, and walked off to the kitchen.

Chapter 11: When We Were...

We left the party and went off in my car. It felt a bit odd to just run off with a stranger, but somehow, it felt comfortable to be with her. She looked every bit like an heiress, but her character bespoke of her otherwise.

“Where would you like to go?” I asked her.

“You decide,” she said. “I just want to be anywhere but there.”

“Why?”

“My father’s sole purpose of propping me there was so that I could meet some eligible young men who would someday be his son-in-law.”

“Am I one of them?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Should I call him to check if you’re on his list?” she smiled.

“I think you’d better not,” I said. “I would be on his list, alright; the black list.”

“Why?”

“Do you know who I am?” I asked her.

“Well… you must be rich enough to be at that party. And from the way you’re dressed, you don’t seem to be out of place. Why would you be on his black list?”

“My father… godfather… Chairman Ahn.”

“Right… I really don’t know who he is,” she said. “What sort of industry does your godfather dabble in?”

“Let’s say we do quite a bit of imports and financing…” I said.

“Oh…”

“The illegal kind,” I added.

“Oh…” she said, this time in a softer tone.

“I was only invited because they were afraid of him,” I said. “And he sent me there with the same purpose as your father’s.”

“To find you a guy?” she said, suddenly.

I looked at her, and realized that for once, I had struck gold. Not only was she not afraid of my background, she had enough guts to joke about it. My face cracked into a smile, and soon, we were laughing together.

“I know where we should go,” I said decisively.

“It had better be good,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “For you, only the best will do.”

[Sierra’s POV]

Music: Alex - 기다리게 해서 미안해 (I’m Sorry To Keep You Waiting)

It was a baseball park, and there was a batting range where people would come to practice their batting skills with the machines. I was in a dress and high heels, but I just kicked my shoes off and hiked up my dress. He took off his blazer and tie, and rolled up his sleeves.

He took out 2 metal baseball bats from the trunk of his Lamborghini; I didn’t want to imagine what else he did with those bats. I was a little shocked when I found out what his family did for a living, but I was still here, walking behind him as he led me towards the batting range. Something about him called out to me, as if we shared the same soul, a common pain in life.

“Watch closely,” he said as he prepared for his first hit.

He was inside one of the booths or cages, whatever you call them, and I was standing behind him, watching. The ball shot out from the machine, and I guess he wasn’t ready, because he had to duck before the ball hit him in the head. He swore in Mandarin.

“You speak Chinese?” I exclaimed in Mandarin.

He turned around and stared at me.

“Did you just say that in Chinese?” he said, and just then, another ball shot out and hit him on the back of his head.

He yelped, and rubbed his head. I opened the gate and beckoned him out before another ball flew over to give him brain damage.

“You speak Chinese?” we said in unison, and laughed.

“My mother’s Chinese,” he said.

“So is my mother,” I said.

“Wow…” he exclaimed.

“This is weird…” I said.

“Very…” he agreed.

“What are the odds?” I smiled.

“I guess that was why we clicked,” he said.

“You think so?”

“Don’t you think we click?” he asked.

“A little,” I smiled.

“A little?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Sorta…” I laughed.

In the end, we spent the rest of the day sitting on a bench nearby, discovering the other things we had in common.

Jae Wook and I barely know each other, but as I did with Han Kyung, I felt a connection with him. Would things end well for us this time?

[Han Kyung’s POV]

I never saw it coming. We had so much good times together that it was hard to believe that it would end just like that. We used to spend every waking moment together. I went to a private boys’ school near hers, and I would always meet her after school and we would spend the day together. Sometimes she’d come to my place, and sometimes we’d go to hers’ since none of our parents were ever around. Sierra was a little luckier since her brothers were around pretty often. I know that she missed her family whenever they were out of town, and I never begrudged her of her time with them even when it meant me spending my day alone.

In my mind, she was the one. We were still young, but I knew that I wanted someone like her by my side for always. I was planning to arrange a meeting between her and my father, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. 6 months into our relationship, she started to avoid me. I followed her one day and managed to catch her alone.

Music: Alex – 화분 (Flower Pot)

“What’s wrong Sierra?” I asked her.

“What do you mean?” she said innocently.

“Why are you avoiding me?” I asked directly.

She sighed, and refused to meet my eye.

“Is there someone else?” I asked.

“No…” she said.

“Then what’s wrong? Your brothers?”

“No…” she said.

“Your father found out about us?”

“Ani…” she shook her head.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” I said.

I was pleading for her to talk to me. I was almost in tears. I’d never felt so deeply for anyone like I did to her. So why didn’t she return my feelings? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?

“I can’t do this anymore,” she finally said.

“What do you mean?”

“I know what you do whenever you can’t meet me. I can’t sit at home knowing that you’re endangering your life.”

“You knew this was what I did from the beginning,” I reminded her.

“I thought you just sat back and watched. I didn’t know you were involved physically.”

“What’s the difference? I have to start out like this, to earn the respect of my followers.”

“I can’t deal with it. I still can’t adjust to hearing you want to beat someone, anyone up, just because they offended me or you. I need a normal guy.”

“Define a normal guy, Sierra,” I said.

“I want someone who leads a normal life like me,” she said, she was close to tears now.

“Someone with a trust fund and a chauffeur?”

“That’s not what I meant,” she said.

“Someone who goes to an elite school, who plans to attend an Ivy League university in the USA? Someone who will inherit a multibillion dollar conglomerate when his father dies?”

“Stop it, Han Kyung… stop it?”

“Aren’t I getting closer to the point?”

“It’s not about money and status,” she said.

“Then what? Tell me! What do you want from me? You want me to give up the mob? You want me to break away from my father?” I said, raising my voice.

“I can never ask you to do that,” she said, softly.

“Then what can I do to keep us together?” I asked.

Tears were streaming down my face now. My legs felt so weak that I just decided to get on my knees and kneel before her.

“Get up, Han Kyung,” she said, tugging at my shirt, urging me to get up on my feet.

“No… not until you tell me how. How can I keep you?” he said.

“You can’t,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “Dui bu qi (I’m sorry),” she said.

“No, Sierra… Don’t do this to us,” I said, latching on to her arm.

“I have to go,” she said as she started inching away from me, pulling her arm out of my grasp.

“No…” I said; my hands now sprawled on the ground from trying to hold on to her.

“Dui bu qi…” she said, and left.

[Sierra’s POV]

Music: Alex – 화분 (Flower Pot) ~ continued

The day I left Han Kyung there in the street, kneeling and begging for me to stay, I had left him behind as just a figment in my imagination. Only my brothers knew what he had meant to me. To the rest of the world, and I have to remind myself this every single day, we never met under those circumstances, we were never together, we never dated, and we were never in love…

******

Celebrity Tidbits

If you have noticed, I'm using quite a few of Alex's songs to set the mood for my scenes. FYI to those who don't know who Alex is. He is the vocalist for the Clazziquai Project, a Korean band. He is well known for singing 'She Is', the theme song for the hit drama series, 'My Name is Kim Sam Soon', with bandmate, Horan. He recently recorded a solo album and appeared on the hit reality series We Got Married on MBC. The song '화분 (Flower Pot)', originally by Loveholic was a song he also performed on the show when he had to leave his 'bride' Shin Ae to focus on his solo album.

I've always found Alex's voice to be sexy and filled with expression. His songs never fail to touch me, particularly my first choice in the beginning of this chapter, '기다리게 해서 미안해 (I’m Sorry To Keep You Waiting)'. Do buy or if you can't get his album, download it, and listen. You won't be sorry ^_^

Chapter 10: Our Loves

[Jae Wook’s POV]

“So…” Si Won nudged me in the middle of our lesson, “you and Sierra are dating?”

Why did he want to know?

“Erm… I guess,” I mumbled.

“Come on,” he said. “You’re the guy. You should at least know where you stand.”

“I don’t like to discuss about my private life,” I said.

“I see… you’re being mysterious now,” he laughed softly. “Well, you’re lucky to still have a private life. Kids like Sierra and I, our live have been media spectacles since we came to age. Enjoy yourself while you still have your privacy. The moment you took her hand, you’re supposed to have given that up.”

“Isn’t that a little farfetched?” I asked him.

The way he described the whole scenario, you would think I’d dated some equivalent of Angelina Jolie.

“Just wait and see,” he smiled, and turned to pay attention to the teacher.

School had just ended. Sierra and I had different classes for the last period, and I was walking over to the lab to meet her.

“Yaaaa!!!” someone yelled like a madman.

Music: TVXQ – Dangerous Mind

The throng of students in front of me parted, and through the parted space charged Ee Teuk. He was in his aikido uniform, a red bandanna tied around his forehead and in his hand, an aiki-jo (short staff used in aikido). As he neared me, he raised the aiki-jo up and brought it down on me. I moved away just in time, before the aiki-jo hit my head.

“Ya! Myowa?” I yelled as I whirled around and he tried to charge again.

“Yaaaa!!!” he yelled and I tried to jump aside to avoid him again.

“Why are you attacking me?” I yelled as I ran behind a pillar for cover.

“Chugo!!!” he yelled like a deranged ape.

“I got that already,” I shouted at him, and ducking to avoid his next swing. “Why do you want me dead?”

“You took her from me! You took her from me!” he ranted.

“Oi!” Hee Chul shouted as he pushed through the crowd.

I’ve never heard him sound so manly before.

“Stay out of this, Kim Hee Chul,” Ee Teuk snarled.

“What are you doing?” Sung Min exclaimed in his babyish whine.

“He took my Sierra!” Ee Teuk yelled, failing his arms as he did.

“Your Sierra?” I remarked.

“Mine!” he bared his teeth at me.

“Calm down,” Hee Chul said.

“No!” Ee Teuk yelled.

“Pin him down,” Hee Chul ordered.

“Don’t you dare,” he said, pointing his aiki-jo at the guys who were advancing against him.

“Pin him down,” Hee Chul repeated, and everyone pounced on him.

“No! Let me go! You’re all gonna pay when my father finds out,” he struggled and yelled.

“Ignore him,” Hee Chul came and slung his arm on my shoulder.

“Why is he so livid? Was he dating Sierra?” I asked Hee Chul as he lead me away; Sung Min trailed behind us.

“Keep him there for the next 15 minutes,” Hee Chul turned around and instructed before turning back to me.

“Answer me,” I said impatiently.

“He’s delusional,” Hee Chul said. “He’s always thought that he and Sierra were the perfect match.”

“Thinking is one thing, but actually treating me as if I’d taken his girlfriend. That guy’s a nut!”

“That’s Ee Teuk for you. We blame his dad for his over-puffed ego. His father is worse than he is.”

“I cannot imagine someone more delusional than Ee Teuk,” I laughed. “His father must be a real work of art.”

“You bet,” Hee Chul winked and clicked his tongue, and I suddenly lost sight of his manliness.

“Jae Wook,” Sierra called out as she sprinted towards me.

“Sierra!” Sung Min squealed before I could call out her name myself.

“Kwaench’ana?” she practically grabbed my face when she got to me.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“What happened? I heard Ee Teuk tried to attack you,” she said, the concern in her voice touching my heart.

“He was just acting up again. Just like he always does whenever you get a boyfriend,” Hee Chul said.

“Yea. But he’s never actually tried to attack them. He usually threatens them,” she said.

“Well, those guys were mostly trying to get a date. Jae Wook here is already dating you,” Hee Chul pointed out.

“You mean you’ve never dated a guy before?” I asked Sierra.

“What do you take me for?” she exclaimed and smacked me on the arm. “Of course I have!”

“How many of them actually survived Ee Teuk’s threats?” I asked.

“Well… there were the seniors, Kim Jeong Hoon and Park Choong Jae, both have graduated.” Sung Min started counting. “And that junior, Kim Hyun Joong…”

“Wow… you had so many?” I laughed and she made a face at me.

“And there’s that freaky Han Kyung,” Sung Min blurted out, then covered his mouth, as if he had just revealed some deep buried secret.

“Sung Min,” Hee Chul sighed, and shook his head.

“Oops…” he squeaked.

“Han Kyung?” I said as I looked at Sierra. “That thug who knocked the lights out of me?”

“That was my biggest mistake,” Sierra said, almost looking remorseful.

[Han Kyung’s POV]

I picked up the photo book; our photo book. She’d made it when we first started out.

Music: Super Junior - So I

“What’s this for?” I’d asked her.

“To document every day we spend together,” she said.

We took a Polaroid every day. Whenever we met up and when we were doing something she felt memorable, she’d take a picture with her pearl blue Polaroid camera, and paste the photo in the book.

When we were together, I did things I would never have done with any other girl. I did almost anything she wanted me to. Most of the girls I knew just fawned around me and followed me wherever I went. They did whatever I wanted to do, they ate whatever I wanted to eat; they were more like pets than girlfriends. I guess I have to blame it on my social status.

I was the illegitimate son of Ahn Sung Ki, the leader of the largest mob in Seoul. My mother, a Chinese actress, died when I was 5, and my father, having no male heir from his legal marriage, decided to officially bring me back into the fold. My surname, ‘Han’, was my mother’s name. I had refused to have it changed to Ahn, in her memory. My father consented.

I grew up watching my father at work and learning to come to the power that would be mine someday. By the time I was in high school, I was already actively involved in my father’s businesses, and it was during my sophomore year that I met Sierra.

We met under the most unlikely circumstances. My father was often invited to high society balls and social gatherings. While my father was viewed as riffraff among high society, their fear of his power ensured that they turned a blind eye to his unsavory businesses and treated him like they would any respectable head of a conglomerate. I met Sierra at one such social gathering.

Music: TVXQ – Whatever They Say

“Sierra,” the host called out to a slim girl in a short, filmy dress. “I’d like you to meet Han Kyung, the godson of Chairman Ahn.”

In polite society, I was often referred to as my father’s godson, even though everyone knew the truth.

“Han Kyung-imnida,” I bowed.

“Sierra-imnida,” she bowed in return.

“Sierra’s the daughter of Chairman Hwang,” the host proceeded with the introduction.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” I said.

“Likewise,” she replied.

“I’ll let you two youngsters enjoy each other’s company,” the host smiled and walked off.

We, or actually, I stood there awkwardly for awhile, and it was Sierra who finally broke the ice.

“So…” Sierra said. “Wanna get out of here?”

Chapter 9: The Morning After

[Jae Wook’s POV]

“Hyung!!!” a familiar voice yelled, and I sat up quickly.

“I’m up,” I mumbled, and my head lolled around as I tried to stay awake.

“Come on,” my brother yelled. “I’m gonna be late.”

I dragged myself up and out of my room, then sat down in front of the table. As always, my brother had prepared breakfast. It’s really my mother’s job, but she’s either drunk and sleeping it off, or out gambling, so my brother and I pretty much took care of ourselves; I worked for the money, he took care of our home and meals.

“Come on,” he said. “Eat up. Or you’ll have to wash the dishes. I don’t want to be late.”

“Wae? You got punished the last time?”

“Ne…” he said and continued to stuff his face.

My brother didn’t do as well as I did in school, so he didn’t get into a school of our choice. His school was about an hour away, so he had to wake up earlier and commute daily.

“Jae Joong-ah…” I said. “Do you want to try again?”

“Mwo?”

“Applying to my school?” I asked him.

“I’m fine, hyung. It was like winning the lottery when you got in. I don’t think that kinda thing happens twice.”

“I could ask around, now that I’m in,” I said, and gulped a mouthful of seaweed soup.

“Wae? Do you have friends in high places now?” he joked.

“Well…”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’ll get used to it.”

“I’ll just ask around,” I said.

“Keurae… just ask around. But I don’t need you to waste your time on it, ne?”

“Ne,” I smiled, and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Ya…” he grumbled smacked my hand away. “Now I’ll need to waste more time fixing this.”

My brother and I… we had the same fair skin, the same expressive eyes, but somehow… his features ended up looking more feminine. I have feminine features too, but my brother could actually pass off as a girl if he wanted to. Being a pretty boy was a curse when you’re in school. The girls would love you to death, and the guys would love to beat you to death. Because of that, he spent most of his free time working out, and he ended up with a better figure than I had i.e. he had some real muscles and abs.

After we’d eaten and cleared up, Jae Joong put all the leftovers in one bowl and left it on the table beside a bowl of rice. My mother would eat that when she woke up. He then left for school, and I went back to my room to snooze another 15 minutes before I got ready for school.

[Sierra’s POV]

Sweat rolled down my back as I checked the oven again. Why did I agree to make breakfast for Sang Hoon oppa?

“Sierra-ya… paegop’a… where’s breakfast?”

“Soon,” I said. “Stop bugging me.”

He smiled, walked towards the radio in the kitchen, and flicked on the switch.

Music: Big Bang – Last Farewell

“Come on, come on… let’s dance!” Sang Hoon oppa yelled as he jumped around, then grabbed me to join him.

“Ya!” I laughed, then joined him anyway.

Sang Hoon oppa was the one who taught me to dance. During his stint as a rebel, he did a lot of street dancing too. Within seconds of the song, we were dancing one of the dances he’d choreographed some time ago.

“Ya… michoso?” Yong Min oppa laughed as he walked into the kitchen.

“What’s that smell?” Sang Hoon oppa said, and I realized that I’d almost forgotten about the food I was cooking in the oven.

“Is it burnt?” Yong Min oppa asked.

“No,” I said as I took out the dish and placed it on the counter as I beamed with pride.

“Wa…” Sang Hoon oppa said as he peered at the dish. “Lasagna for breakfast.”

One of the few things I was good at was basic Italian cuisine; pizza, lasagna, spaghetti.

“I thought we would get rice,” Yong Min oppa said.

“Oppa!” I glared at him. “You didn’t say you wanted rice, and you know I don’t cook rice.”

Yes… I still haven’t learnt to make dishes, but I mix a mean bibimbap. Most people tend to think that my mother was Chinese, I would at least be able to make Chinese dishes.

“Pap hae…” Yong Min oppa said.

“The only rice dishes I can give you are bibimbap and fried rice, and you know it.”

“Just eat it,” Sang Hoon oppa grinned, and started taking out 3 plates from the nearby cabinet. “Or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Araso, araso…” Yong Min oppa smiled as he raised him hands in defeat.

[Jae Wook’s POV]

Just in time… another few minutes and I’d have been late. I didn’t need the cane on my butt. I probably wouldn’t be able to take the pain since it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten in trouble like that.

I felt pretty good today. This morning, when I woke up, everything that happened yesterday felt so surreal. I had to see her today… I didn’t dare tell my brother yet in case it was just a dream. Or maybe Sierra was just humoring me yesterday, and she’d avoid me today.

As I walked into the school grounds, my eyes immediately scanned around the vicinity for Sierra’s face. She wasn’t here yet.

“Yo!” Dong Hae slapped my back and jumped in front of me.

“How did it go with your brother?” I asked him.

“I managed to sneak the bike in without him knowing,” Dong Hae grinned.

“Good for you,” I said. “Thanks for risking your neck to help me out.”

“Hey… what are buddies for?” he grinned.

“Ahem…” someone said as she tapped my shoulder.

Music: Super Junior - Marry U

I turned around and there she was; the face in my dreams.

“Hi Sierra,” Dong Hae squeaked.

“Hi Dong Hae,” she replied.

Just then the first bell rang.

“You’re late,” I smiled.

“I’m just in time,” she said.

“Shall we?” I said as I extended her my arm.

“I’d love to,” she smiled, and linked her arm in mine as we walked towards class.

As soon as we took 2 steps, a few other unmistakable voices appeared.

“Omo… are you guys dating already?” Hee Chul exclaimed.

“Omigod! Omigod!” Sung Min squealed, and I grinded my teeth at the sound of his voice.

“Pipe down…” Sierra said, shushing the 2 pretty brothers. “I don’t need the whole school staring.”

“But you’re holding hands. Does it make a difference?” Hee Chul said.

“Yah… you might as well yell ‘Look everyone!!! Sierra and Jae Wook are holding hands!’” she said sarcastically.

“Yea… but no one would know who Jae Wook is,” Hee Chul laughed.

“That’s right!” Sung Min exclaimed. “We should have you introduced to the school.”

“Who? Who? Who?” Shin Dong bounded up to us.

Now the whole motley crew was complete.

“Jae Wook,” Sung Min said.

“Who?” Shin Dong said, still not realizing what was going on.

“He wasn’t there when Jae Wook ‘saved’ Sierra,” Hee Chul said, smacking Sung Min on the head.

“Oh… right!” Sung Min giggled.

“He saved Sierra?” Shin Dong said, and gave me a once-over with the look of disbelief.

“Yea,” Sierra said, and she hugged me around my waist.

I had to control myself from puffing my chest up with pride. I didn’t do anything, and yet here she was, telling all he friends that I was her hero.

“From who?” Shin Dong asked.

“Han Kyung,” Sung Min said.

“Han Kyung?” Shin Dong gasped, and from this moment on, he looked at me in awe.

“I didn’t do anything, really…” I said.

I was starting to feel embarrassed with all the attention they were giving me.

“But you saved her from Han Kyung,” Shin Dong said, rapturously.

“What about Han Kyung?” a deep voice said, and our little group parted to make way for him.

“Hi Si Won,” Hee Chul waved, and I felt Sierra’s hands suddenly tighten around my arm.

[Sierra’s POV]

Drats… he’s done it again. I thought that I’d be over Si Won the moment I had someone like Jae Wook. It didn’t work. He still made me feel weak in the knees. Jae Wook snaked his arm around my waist just in time to stop me from sliding to the ground.

“Are you alright?” he asked me, softly.

“Yea,” I said. I can imagine how flustered I looked as I tried to straightened myself.

“Jae Wook saved Sierra from Han Kyung,” Shin Dong now repeated like a trained parrot.

“Really?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“He did!” Sung Min piped up.

“I think we should get to class,” Dong Hae suddenly said, totally steering us away from the topic.

Everyone looked at him for a moment, as if he were an alien who had just invaded their turf.

“Right,” Si Won said, simply, and started walking away.

“Let’s get to class,” Hee Chul said, and we followed behind Si Won.

“Are you okay?” Jae Wook asked me as we walked.

“I’m alright,” I smiled. “I just happen to have a knee problem every now and then.”

I can’t let him know why I’d collapsed. Was he on to me?

“I see,” he smiled. “Well… you’re in luck. I’ll be here to catch you when you fall from now on.”

I couldn’t find a reply to his statement. Had it been yesterday, I might have felt tingles. But today, with Si Won’s over-powering aura… I was no longer able to connect to Jae Wook. What am I going to do now?

Music: Tim - 내 안의 전쟁 (The War In My Mind)