CHAPTER 6
“Aish…” Miri said in a sleep-deprived protest. She has been watching her friend Yeo Been pace back and forth for the last 30 minutes. ‘Why am I here again?’ She asked herself. Miri was lazily slouched on a royal purple coloured couch in Yeo Been’s room. Her eyes, fighting a losing battle to stay open as her body screams to go back to bed as well. The only part of her that’s happily awake is her cupid-induced brain who at the moment tries to humor her friend, who, at the unholy hour of 6 in the morning, on a weekend no less, is already a bundle of nerves.
Miri hugs her friend’s pink teddy bear, as she recalls receiving a call from Yeo Been at 5 in the morning, asking her to come to her dorm building. She frowns at the thought. Her precious beauty rest disturbed. Yeo Been better be in a life-threatening situation to interrupt her sleep. Finally she answered her 10th call and here she is, responding to her ‘emergency call’.
“What should I wear, Miri?” Yeo Been finally stopped pacing, this time facing her friend, scowling. “Yah! This is your fault! If you hadn’t suggested the pairings, you wouldn't be here, and I wouldn't be having this problem. Ugh!” She emphasized her last words by dramatically falling to the floor.
‘Uh—uh.’ Miri thought while raising her eyebrows. She just watched her friend do her theatrics. ‘If you only knew Beenie, everyone in the club signed up for this, well except for that one newcomer, Ahn, who, I shall investigate later, hmmm.’ Miri’s eyes narrowing at the thought.
“Miri!”
“What?!”
“What should I wear to our rehearsal?!” Yeo Been desperately asked.
“Rehearsal eh? Is that what Mr. Song invited you for?” Miri can’t help but smirk. Her dense friend still hasn’t caught on. Ofcourse, Joong Ki tells her it’s a rehearsal. But obviously it was a date. Miri rolled her eyes before sighing.
“Beenie, stand up.” Miri took Yeo Been’s arms, pulling her from the floor. “Go wash yourself so that you can prepare. I’ll help you,” she said reassuringly.
***
“Uhm— I think this is a little overdressed, Miri,” Yeo Been said while looking at herself in the mirror. She felt a little too exposed. The one Miri picked for her was unlike any of the clothes she would normally wear. It was a teal green strap dress with leaf pattern prints that ran a few inches below her knee. The straps clung to her shoulder in a ribbon, accentuating her shoulders and neck while a similar strap on the middle is tied at the back to outline her small waist. The colour of the dress, furthermore, compliments her long natural dark brown hair.
Miri was beyond satisfied with her outfit. She kept on nodding in approval, pleased with herself. Miri knew the moment she saw the dress that it was IT. Like a ray of sunshine lit up and shone directly at the dress. And in all honesty, her friend need not to even undergo a total makeover. ‘Beenie is pretty, she just doesn’t realize it. She hid her true charming self behind those sweatshirts, hoodies and oversized pants. Her hair was always tied in a messy bun, never applied any make-up, not caring how she looked. Her tomboyish looks attracted the students at school for the wrong reasons. Making her the subject of their schemes. Only a real guy can see ALL PAST that. A guy who’d have to be head over heels in love. ‘Ah, you, Joong Ki is a lucky guy,’ Miri pondered.
“Miri?”
She was about to answer Yeo Been when they heard a car’s engine stopping outside.
“Oh. It seems like he’s here already,” Miri said.
“Maybe I should go change!” ‘Why did I let Miri decide anyways?’ Yeo Been realizes. This dress screams ‘take me to a date’ to her. They are going to rehearse for crying out loud. She would be sending him mixed signals which she isn’t sure she can handle. She even let Miri rummage through her whole wardrobe in order to find a ‘decent dress,’ why she agreed to her is a mystery, and owning ‘this’ dress is another.
“Yohoo? —Earth to Beenie!”
Yeo Been hears her friend call out, hands on hips. Her eyes glaring at her, waiting for her to move. “Beenie, the guy’s waiting outside. Go.”
“This isn’t right. Please tell him I’m sick.”
A loud sigh. “You woke me up at 5am, asked me to come help you. Now if that doesn’t translate to ‘I’m soooo excited for this date,’ then I don’t know what is.”
“It isn’t a da—” Before Yeo Been could finish, Miri shoved her sling bag to her and pushed her towards the door.
***
Joong Ki stood outside his white Cadillac CT6 luxury car. He was fidgeting as soon as he got out. He looked at his reflection again, unsure if he made the right choice of wearing his outfit for the day. He was in his semi-tattered jeans, a blue monochromatic striped inner tee and a turquoise green fleece sweatshirt for the weather. He wanted to be presentable to her, to sweep her off her feet without overdoing it. He remembered changing his set of clothes for at least 3 times, even asking his personal butler, Mr. Tak, for the latter’s suggestion. He smiled as he remembered Mr. Tak’s curiosity.
“I don’t mean to step out of line Young Master King, but I can’t help but notice your rather unusual perplexity for today’s, uh, ‘meeting’ with this particular lady,” the senior butler said in his English accent.
Joong Ki gave him a knowing smile, “No. She is not my girlfriend Mr. Tak. I sure hope that she will. Don't worry, you’ll meet her soon,” he assured him.
Joong Ki looked at his watch, it’s 1 in the afternoon, an hour earlier than their agreed time. He smiled inwardly. He isn’t even going to deny his eagerness for today. He is happy and he really looks forward to meeting his ‘Queen,’ a term of endearment he so boyishly coined to his own nickname. And if Yeo Been notices the little things, the efforts he has given today, then it would be a bonus. It’s a mystery to him, this infatuation. But rather than questioning the suddenness and depth of his feelings, he just gives into it. Because Jeon Yeo Been just makes everything brighter for him. And he began realizing that every day, he likes something new about her. And with every liking, in each passing day, the ‘like’ matures into ‘loving.’ All he knows is that he should be with her. And he shouldn’t let any day pass without pursuing her. Because Joong Ki feels that he wasted a few lifetimes already, and the urgency his heart imposes on him just can’t be ignored.
Joong Ki glances inside his car again. A ‘small’ bouquet of yellow roses lay on the backseat. He specifically instructed his butler, Mr. Tak to acquire this bouquet. It isn’t even small by any sense, Joong Ki just prefers calling it so as if calling it small makes it a little less ‘too much.’ The bouquet comprises 30 pieces of yellow roses to which Joong Ki requested to represent the 30 days that he has officially met Yeo Been. He felt that he should have offered her flowers in retrospect and if he plays his cards right, he may even earn the privilege to openly give her flowers everyday in the future.
‘Should I inform her that I’m already here?’ Joong Ki instinctively reached for his phone and then thought. ‘Oh. I don’t have her number. Okay Joong Ki, please gather the courage today to please ask for her number. You should have asked her weeks ago, but you chicken out everytime. You could have been calling her all this time, right King?’
“Yeah! You’re right!” Joong Ki speaking to himself.
He was oblivious to the other dorm occupants who had crowded on the balcony on the upper floor, curious why the campus heartthrob grazed their dormitory grounds, with his car in tow and obviously waiting for someone. The girls were making assumptions and making snide remarks as news, baseless or not, travels fast in the campus. Many have noticed by now that Song Joong Ki has been ‘following’ a freshman around and that the campus prince had even joined the ambitious girl’s club and frequented the diner where this ‘girl’ works. And today, all their suspicions will be confirmed as they await whoever comes out of the dorm gate and goes in Joong Ki’s car. That’s the kind of news everyone will have a feast on. Who is this girl who can possibly replace the beautiful Song Hye Kyo in Mr. Song Joong Ki’s heart? Expectations were running high.
Joong Ki was reading his script in an attempt to look busy as he patiently waited for Yeo Been to come out when he heard the door open from behind followed by a loud ‘Ehem’ from a familiar voice that can only come from Seo Miri. He turned around and ‘boom.’ The sweetest explosion ever. The very same reaction, only more intense back at the rooftop making a repeat. If his heart skipped a beat last time, it must have done a somersault at the moment, his mouth unable to produce coherent words and his eyes may have been blinded, long surrendered to the sight before him.
His ‘Queen’ has just come out. Her. Jeon Yeo Been. His Beenie. In that dress—destined matching his, and her being herself, naturally breathtaking.
He stood there, motionless, breath shallow, and mouth slightly open. The greeting he practiced the night before, forgotten. He only came out of his trance as he heard the faint squeaking sound as Yeo Been opened the dorm gate. He quickly walked towards the gate, almost bumping into her. The ‘brakes’ in his shoes are not functioning properly, causing him to awkwardly spring his body forward and back. This earned a small laugh from the girl in front of him.
“Hi, Joong Ki,” she greeted him. He blinked his eyes, unable to process what he had just heard.
‘Idiot! She just greeted you!’ His mind scolds him.
“Hello Beenie,” was all that came out from Joong Ki, the former running his hand to his neck in mannerism, throwing her a sheepish smile. He then opened his mouth again, but his vocabulary was long gone.
“You uh, I uh, you look very beautiful today.”
“Well, thank you. You look handsome. I like your style,” she briefly eyed him from head to toe. “You’re cute.” She then gently tapped his shoulder.
"Let’s go?” she said.
He ushered her to his car, opening her door for her. It’s an understatement to say that Joong Ki was unable to contain his excitement. He made one last look at her dorm building and saw the other students from the dorm balcony, with their phones on hand, and he couldn’t care less.
“Okay Beenie, let’s rehearse!”
***
It was the perfect place for rehearsing a play and/or dating. (Depending on who you ask.)
Joong Ki took in his surroundings. Secretly patting himself on the shoulder. He couldn't have picked a better place to bring Beenie to a dat—
‘Oh, a rehearsal.’ Ah yes.
“This place is nice, Joong Ki.” Yeo Been glanced at him appreciatively.
He smiled before looking at his view. They were at the park, on a perfect Sunday afternoon. The place was less crowded than usual, with a few park goers evenly spread on the ground. The amount of sun, just enough to kiss the skin, the afternoon breeze, refreshing, and the flowers sway so lightly as the wind brushes over them. There were benches under the shade of the lush trees where a few people were sitting, their animated chatters adding liveliness to the park. Seated at the center is a fountain with its trickling water making a steady sound, reminding you of childhood where you'd wish your heart out, utter a wish, and drop a coin into it. But all these aesthetics do not even come close to the view only he is privy to.
She was breathtaking, like being star struck, her presence affects you, the feeling lingers. For Joong Ki, breathtaking meant standing next to her. And taking her presence, drowning in it. Euphoric, spectacular. Seeing how her lips curved into a beautiful smile takes his breath away. How her eyes wandered around, wishing those same eyes wander back to him, so that he would drown in them.
‘Aish Joong Ki, you’re in too deep now. Don’t make her uncomfortable okay? Relax and please try to rehearse too.’ His mind reminded him.
“It’s kinda loud here but we can't help it, it’s a local park. But, I think this is the perfect place for our rehearsal,” Yeo Been said. She was wondering why he suggested the park, she was expecting that they would rehearse on the rooftop of Geumga building, or in the school’s open field or maybe, or his house—oops, was that wishful thinking? She immediately stopped her thought. There’s no way she will go to his house, wherever it is.
“So what should we do next?” She turned to Joong Ki, her bare shoulders brushing against his chest. making him step backwards. He cleared his throat.
“Sorry. Let’s sit over there?” His eyes directed on the far corner of the park where a lone bench was located under a cherry blossom tree. It was away from the park goers, and looked quieter too. The spot looked romantic.
“Woah. You really have good eyes. Come on. Let’s go there,” she uttered, leading the way. Joong Ki can't help but grin.
‘I really have good eyes. That’s why I saw you,’ he thought.
***
15 minutes had passed. They were just sitting on the bench without saying a word. Song Joong Ki’s hands were on his lap and he kept on looking around, looking for something to talk about. While Jeon Yeo Been was holding her sling bag, she’s playing with its strap. They were just happily talking to each other earlier while walking towards the bench but when they sat down, silence enveloped them. She doesn't know the reason but she thinks that it has something to do with how close they were sitting; their arms were brushing with each other.
“Uhm let's—let’s start?” Jeon Yeo Been initiated the conversation. The silence between them was annoying her. She thought that the awkwardness was gone but she’s wrong.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about a lot of things lately,” Song Joong Ki said in a low voice. It was just an excuse. He can't start a conversation with her because her arm kept on brushing with his, sending a tingling feeling on his stomach. His mind became fuzzy because of her warm and soft skin. He cleared his throat to stop himself from thinking other unworldly thoughts.
“Let’s start rehearsing. Did you bring your script?” he asked Beenie. He was hoping that she brought her script and it was inside her sling bag. He also brought his script but he left it in his car; he felt like bringing that script is kinda a hassle. Jeon Yeo Been opened her sling bag. Her mouth hung open when she saw that there’s only two things inside of her bag; her wallet and phone.
‘Omo. I forgot the script. It was on the couch—omo I forgot to inform Miri that she should put the script inside of my bag.’ Jeon Yeo Been was panicking inside of her mind. How can they rehearse if she did not bring the script? She looked at Song Joong Ki. He surely didn't bring his script.
Omo.
***
On the other hand, Seo Miri was sipping tea while sitting on Beenie’s royal purple couch. She grinned like a Cheshire cat and looked at the script on the table. She intentionally didn't put the script inside Beenie’s bag. She’s sure that Beenie will not be suspicious of her, after all she’s her most trusted friend. She leaned and laughed evilly but was interrupted when she was choked by her own saliva. She started coughing furiously.
***
“I think I forgot to bring my script, Joong Ki,” Jeon Yeo Been stated.
“Eh?” Song Joong Ki looked at her with a questioning look. Jeon Yeo Been shook her head. “I forgot my script,” she repeated. “What should we do?” she asked him.
“I have my script in my car but I don't want to leave you here,” he said. He parked his car far away from the park because that was the only place where everyone could freely park their cars.
“Oh, okay. You can get it. I’ll be okay here.” Joong Ki looked around. Their place was kinda far from everyone and there's only a few people in the park. He turned his gaze back at Yeo Been. The latter beamed towards him. “You should get it so that we can start rehearsing our lines,” she said encouragingly. As soon as she smiled towards him, Joong Ki knew that he would not be able to refuse her. Her cheeks and eye smile will be the death of him. He felt like his heart skipped a beat when she smiled brightly. ‘Aaah. She should be safe here. It’s a public park. Yeah, I should get the script,’ he pondered.
“Go.” Yeo Been slightly patted his arm. He immediately stood up; he felt like someone electrified him when her hand patted his arm. Yeo Been was surprised by what he did but she decided not to question his behavior. She just thought that he was going to follow her request.
“I will get the script. Beenie, just stay here. I’ll be back,” he said. Before he left, he leaned towards her and pinched her cheek. “Wait for me, Beenie,” he whispered and left.
Yeo Been was left speechless by what he did.
‘He was just so shy earlier—and—and then he did that? Woah, Joong Ki, what a brazen attitude,’ she thought. She gently glanced at his distant figure; his doe-eyed smile can't get out of her head. She never thought that there will be a time when he’s not far from her reach. She never thought that she would be able to talk to him. Jeon Yeo Been always saw him as a bright star; and she was the human who kept on wishing to get that bright star. He’s way up high and a woman like her does not deserve to stand beside him.
But things change, right? Every once in a while, life throws you a fairytale.
He’s here, right beside her. She can talk to him and have this date—or rehearsal in the park. She can call him ‘Joong Ki’ and she can tap his shoulder whenever she likes. She can throw jokes at him and he will smile at her. It was perfect.
But it feels like he was still trapped inside of a painting, his exquisite beauty doesn't suit her world. She still feels like he was in a distant world, a world where everyone was perfect and she knows that she does not belong there, because she’s full of imperfections. She’s aware of how different their lives are. Joong Ki came from a chaebol family; they owned a large business conglomerate. While her, she’s an orphan and she’s just depending on her scholarship.
She shook her head to stop herself from thinking unnecessary thoughts. She doesn't have any time for self-pity. She needs to stand up on her own so she will do her best on everything. She will do her best on this play. She will be a great actress in the future; one that will be a role model to many. She will do her best so that she can achieve her goal.
So that she can stand up beside him.
“Aha! Look who’s here.” Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice.
“Jeon Yeo Been! Ah, what are you wearing?” She looked up and was met by a familiar group of people. It was Park Seok-do and friends. Or Nutria and friends. Yeo Been can't help but hiss. Ah, it was such a wonderful day, unfortunately it was destroyed by this group of friends.
“You know how to wear a dress, Jeon Yeo Been. That’s new.” The one who just spoke was Jeon Soo-nam, he was known for his chestnut haircut, just like Park Saeyori. Yeo Been stood up.
“I don't have business with you, so leave,” she seriously stated. The group laughed at her remark. She can't help but to sigh. Park Seok-do and friends were the propsmen of Wusang Club. They were not her friends (obviously) but they were her former co-club members. When the club was about to dissolve, Yeo Been left the club and joined the Jipuragi club. Park Seok-do was blaming her and he kept on saying that she was the reason why the club was dissolved. Yeo Been didn't say anything because she knew that the reason why their club was dismissed was because of their drama club President. He kept on stealing their fund. ‘Really, that leader is corrupt.’ She still couldn't believe it when she discovered that. She glared at Park Seok-do. Park Seok-do was the leader of her bully club. He keeps on bullying her whenever he gets his chance and he never stops. He’s confident in what he’s doing because one of the professors of Inzhagi University was his brother; which is a leech. Damn, she was surrounded by this kind of human being.
“You’re getting confident with yourself, Jeon Yeo Been,” Park Seok-do said arrogantly. Jeon Yeo Been stands up straight, oozing with confidence. She even forgot about her outfit today; she just wanted to show to this group that she will never back out even though her mind was in panic because she can't take down a group of men. If it was Park Seok-do or Jeon Soo-nam, she could outsmart them. They will defeat her when it comes to strength.
Ah right. Song Joong Ki. But he might be still in the parking lot or walking his way towards the park. She doesn't want to involve him in this mess.
“Don’t be too confident with yourself, Jeon Yeo Been. You don't have anything to brag about!” Jeon Soo-nam came close to her. She didn't back down. She stood on her ground and she didn't even flinch when the guy grabbed her arm. She was wearing a sleeveless dress so she felt his painful grasped. She bravely looked at his eyes.
“What can you do, huh? What—”
“Cosa pensi di star facendo?” A low manly voice cut off Jeon Soo-nam. All of them turned their gaze towards the person who just perfectly spoke Italian. They can't understand what he meant but they knew that he was asking a question.
Yeo Been was in awe while looking at Song Joong Ki who was advancing towards her. He stopped in front of them and he glared at the hand of Jeon Soo-nam who was grasping Beenie’s arm.
“Fermati lì, bastardo. Let her go.” His voice was cold and dangerous. If they were not in the middle of a mess, Yeo Been would clap her hands because of his coolness. He became more handsome.
“Yah. Who are you?” Park Seok-do asked. Joong Ki ignored him. He grabbed Jeon Soo-nam’s wrist and tightly squeezed it. Jeon Soo-nam immediately let go of Beenie’s arm, his face showing a painful expression. Song Joong Ki was not yet done, he twisted his arm and let him go. Jeon Soo-nam shouted in pain and slumped on the grass. Beenie blinked her eyes, she was astonished by what he did.
‘That was cool,’ she thought. Joong Ki gently grabbed her close to him. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m okay,” she answered. Nutria was baring his teeth towards Song Joong Ki, he’s furious at what he did.
Jeon Yeo Been suddenly remembered a certain scene in the play.
‘Lee Eun-jung was involved in a fight (or anything) and Yoo Shi-jin will save her. [Adlib]. The actors will just do their best on this scene. Your friendly writer will give you a chance to showcase your acting skills.’
Ah. It was not a scene, actually. Larry Kang just felt lazy to write a dialogue on that scene so he chose it to be an adlib.
‘I should strangle him if I see him,’ she thought. But setting her grudge aside, it's the perfect timing to try that scene today. She also has to test Joong Ki’s acting skills. She meaningfully gazed at Song Joong Ki.
———
Kei’s note: I’m currently working on Chapter 6 part 2. My partner and I just felt like we need to give you an update so here it is. Thank you for reading Pagliuzza!