Seoul, South Korea
~Phoebe~
We placed our order at the counter, they gave us a number, and we took a seat by the claw machines.
The server brought our food over and we started digging in.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's in here!" Cherry's hands quickly flew up to her mouth to keep herself from squealing louder than she almost did.
"Who?" I ask attempting to turn around.
"Oh my gosh don't, turn around. He's looking this way. Do you think he heard me?" She was doing this kind of whisper yelling thing I didn't even know was possible until now.
"Who is he?" I asked again.
"Oh gosh he's walking over here with his number. Shit Phoebe, what do I do? Do I look okay?"
"You look fine." I was trying so hard not to laugh at her hysteria.
"What are you doing here?"
I recognized that voice. That deep, strong, commanding voice. My head shot up immediately.
My face dropped, along with my mood.
"The evidence is on the table, what I can't come get lunch at a café with a friend? Near my school? Do I need you permission?" I snapped, maybe a little more aggressive than asserative, okay, but this is borderline harassment.
"Yes." He answered curtly, he looked at me like he carried all the seriousness in the world in a on his back.
Yes, to what?
"Excuse me? What the fuck is your problem, I'm literally just breathing, and you just think you have the right to come rain on my parade? Get lost, jerk." I blew my lid, even raised my voice, which is something I never do.
People started to look, usually I care about drawing attention to me, but right now. I don't care, this guy is really toeing a line here.
He slammed his hands on the table, shaking my drink just enough it spills over the side a little.
I jumped startled by his outburst.
"First of all, don't you ever raise your voice at me like that again. Second, I own this city, if I say jump, you ask me how high. If I say run you ask me, how far and how fast. Have I made myself clear. Now. Give me your phone." He was all but growling like a rabid dog.
This guy was freaking nuts!
"How about, ah… No." I glared at him defiantly. Like hell I would do any of that. I did not just leave one crazy man to be controlled by another 11,000 kilometers away.
"Did you just tell me no?" The air was suffocatingly thick, almost palpable and the atmosphere was far too intense for my comfort.
I'm done here. This drama is beneath me.
I scooted my chair back and looked over at Cherry and said, "Let's get out of here." I picked up my coffee and pounded it, ripped my purse off the side of the chair, the force jerking the bag almost knocked the chair down and headed straight for the door. Cherry scrambled her things and chased after me.
I didn't care that everyone's eyes were on me. I didn't care I was getting filmed. I didn't care. I was about to punch him so hard in that pretty freaking nose of his.
I left him standing by the table. And I didn't dare turn around. If I did, I know I'd make him taste my fist.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Cherry asked, her long legs were struggling to keep up with my pace, even with my short legs.
"Nothing, just a pest problem, nothing a little insecticide can't fix." I barked at her meaner than I meant.
"I'm sorry that was a little snappy." I stopped and turned to face her.
"I forgive you… If you tell me how the hell you know Kim Taeyung and why is that your reaction to the campus god. And the heir to one of the richest groups in the whole city?" She grinned mischievously at me before locking my arms in hers and continuing the walk.
"We met on the plane. Look you saw what I own. It's not much, I don't come from a lot of money or anything, my life back home was pretty shitty. To be completely honest. But I have one friend, and she spoils me, spoils me rotten, and as a gift, she upgraded my ticket to first class, and he was my seat mate. And when I tell you he's a douchecanoe, girl, I mean it."
"Douche canoe?" She raised her eyebrow at me, I guess questioning my choice of words.
"Yes, a douchecanoe."
She busted out laughing. "That's one I've never heard before."
"It's mine, I plan to trademark it eventually." I joked letting the mood lighten.
"So how was he a… Douche canoe?" she couldn't stop smiling now that she's definitely added that word to her vocabulary list.
"He was just a rude asshole on the plane, and then he stole my cab, with me still in it. And then when this girl was hit by a car, he had the audacity to act like it was a waste of time that I performed CPR for 5 minutes straight. Like gee whiz, brother, didn't know your time was worth more than someone's fucking life." I groan yelled "Ugh. Entitled rich shit."
"Wait, hold up, rewind, you mean to tell me, you saved a girl's life today? And this is the first I'm hearing about it?" She gasped dramatically feigning hurt.
"Yeah, I gave them my number, I hope I'll hear back that she's okay. I don't know what happened exactly, except that a car hit her and drove away."
"Wow. I don't know what to say. I never expected anyone to act like that in real life, this sounds so much like an 'enemies to lovers' Kdrama trope, I love it." She giggled.
"I don't like drama's; I prefer anime and games. Sometimes action movies. I'm a game designer, so naturally animation is more my cup of tea."
"Fair. But you know what, I think he likes you." She smiled at me innocently.
"That's hilarious, if that's how he treats people he likes, I'd rather he pretends I don't exist." I rolled my eyes.
"I'm honestly jealous, I wish he would even look in my direction, he's so perfecr, I'd let him spit in my mouth." She smiled proudly.
"That's disgusting." I gagged a little.
"Normally I'd agree, but for him, anything for him, darling." She acted dramatically, which made us both breakout in laughter.
"So, his name is Kim Taeyung?" I asked for confirmation.
"Yes." She answered back quickly.
Kim Taeyung…
We got what we needed from the store and went back to the dorms.
Being with Cherry was surprisingly almost as easy as being with Mouse. And almost as fun.
The next few days went by crazy fast. Cherry helped decorate my side of the room. She gave me a bunch of things, I tried rejecting, but she said, "You either take them, or I throw them away to prove a point." And being as poor as I am, hell no, the garbage will not look cuter than our dorm room. It was cottage core, with a hint of gamer girl in one corner, and peach princess directly across in the other corner. She had real plants delivered, said "It will keep the air clean and fresh." With string lights that dangled from every direction, "Have to set the ambiance for a good mood." Was her answer for that one.
Today was Orientation. I've heard that SNU has a killer school festival. Cherry wants us to join one club together, I agreed, if we find one, we both like.
I was excited, school fairs aren't all that jazz back home. I was really ecstatic for this.
"What colors are you going to wear?" Cherry's accent was so cute and matched her perfectly.
"I don't know, I don't want to stand out too much, but I kind of want to be noticed. This is my new start. My new life. Korea is where I begin. So, I need to make a statement but not scream 'bold bitch'." I explained my predicament to Cherry
"Let me see." Cherry said walking over to my hanging closet space. "Wow you have such a variety of style. I love it."
She sorted through all my clothes settling on two options.
"Alright, this is the one, because it's close to what I'm wearing." I looked at the two outfits one was green thin mesh skintight crop that matches my eyes and these black leggings and leather black combat boots, with my silver clutch bag. And the one she was suggesting was my white summer tennis style dress that buttons to the top with a doubled hooped collar and a flared out skirt, accompanied by my brown combat boots and my wicker purse.
"I'm going to do a fish tail braid and put little butterfly clips in it. You're going to be so cute girl. I have a yellow and white daisy dress, brown cork wedges, and a large yellow beach bag style purse."
When she came out of the bathroom with her dress and make up on, she looked like a sweet ray of sunshine.
"You are like a walking advertisement for an antidepressant, happiness in skin." I told her.
She laughed, "That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me all day."
"It's like 10am."
"Exactly." Cherry clapped excitedly. "Let's do your makeup and hair first, since your dress is zip up."
It's been so long since someone did my makeup. I was excited to see myself in the mirror. My eyeliner was thick but not bold or daring, she used a soft shimmery tan for my lids, and a soft blush with a nude lipstick she offered.
"Wow, you look like someone's summer love like from a music video. I think I'm questioning my sexuality, am I gay?" Cherry teased me with her compliment.
"Shut up. Come on."
I took one last look in the mirror and smiled. The dress hid just enough skin on the shoulders you couldn't see the scars on my upper back. All of my clothes covered just enough skin I could move with confidence.
I looked good, she wasn't kidding, she did a great job with my hair and makeup.
I was ready to make my entrance into the world.