Chapter 15 (1/1)

Shin Rae Yoo                  A lot of crazy things have happened to me, but this was by far the craziest. I still wasn’t coping with the fact that Bang Yong Guk actually asked me out on a date. Well, asking makes him sound too nice. It was more like he told me to go out on a date with him. After a year, which is about to turn into two, he finally notices me and goes as far as telling me to go on a date with him. The whole thing was just too ludicrous! Why would Bang Yong Guk want to go out with me? That was one thing I wanted to know. But I have a feeling trying to find out would cost me another uncomfortable encounter with that arrogant jerk!                “Hello? Earth to Rae?” I saw Hanna’s perfectly manicured finger just before she yanked the book out of my hands.                We were both in Coffee Code, having some waffles and coffee for lunch. I know it was weird, but I was craving something crispy and sweet to eat. Something specifically for breakfast.                “I was reading?” I pointed out with sarcasm to Hanna.                “Reading what?” Hanna closed the book, losing the page I was on, and looked at the cover. “‘Crescendo’ by Becca Fitzpatrick?” she read aloud with a snort. She placed the book back on the table in front of me. “You’re such a bookworm.”                “Happily,” I replied before I took the book and stuffed it back into my backpack. “Besides, Patch is a hot fallen angel!”                “Who the hell is Patch?” Hanna asked with a raised brow. I had to give myself a mental face palm. Hanna never read. Never liked it. Never will. “No, offense. But I’m not into boring stuff like books.”                “None taken,” I replied. “Anyway, what were you saying?”                “I knew it! You weren’t really reading.” Hanna surprised me. She really was my best friend if she could tell that. “Even if you’re reading a book, you could still hear me. Something’s bothering you and you’re not fessing me up to me, your best friend.”                She was right. My mind was on Bang Yong Guk at the moment. I don’t know why I kept thinking about it, but I had to stop because there was no point in letting it bother me. I couldn’t let a delinquent like him into my life! He was nothing but trouble. Besides, I wasn’t his type of girl. I’ve seen the kind girls he was always around. He liked girls with long legs, an hour glass figure, and a slim face. They practically spelled out “super models” with bodies like that. As for me, I was the complete opposite. I had short legs, an average body that couldn’t be called fat, but not exactly sexy either. It was impossible for me to achieve a perfect figure since I always think about eating. I can’t ever not stop by a food stand on the way home.                “It’s nothing important,” I lied. “Just some homework and stress.”                “Liar,” she replied. “You wouldn’t be reading a book if that was the case.”                Well, she caught me there. “Okay fine,” I admitted. “I’m just having trouble coping with people lately.”                “How so?” Hanna asked.                How do I explain to Hanna how Bang Yong Guk has been acting around me? There was no way I could tell her right now about Bang Yong Guk. Even I couldn’t understand or explain his actions around me.  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly.                “Aw! You’re missing your baby Dragon?” Hanna teased.                I raised a brow at her. “What are you talking about?”                “You know exactly who I’m talking about!” Hanna exclaimed. “You miss G-Dragon.” She gave me a slight nudge on the side of my torso.                “Whatever,” I murmured as I slung my backpack behind me.                “Keep up that attitude and I’ll have to cancel tonight’s plans,” Hanna teased with a crooked, sly smile.                “Tonight’s plans?” I repeated.                “Well, I was on my way to get some coffee and I ran into Taeyang, the cute guy with a Mohawk that did my tattoo,” Hanna started, “and he invited me to an exclusive beach party they’re throwing tonight. It’s going to be at Eurwangni Beach. It’s the beach near Incheon International Airport. I’d say it’ll be like a 20-30 minute drive from Seoul. They’re practically renting out the whole beach. The party’s an invitation-only-type thing.”               I couldn’t even remember the last time I went to the beach. All I knew was that it had been years since my last visit. Once I heard Hanna say “beach,” I was certain that I wanted to go.  I wanted to smell the ocean breeze. I wanted to feel rough sand, massaging in between my toes, and I wanted to roast marshmallows at a bonfire. Then again, it was pretty cold now, but still it would probably be nice to go to the beach as long as you were dressed warmly for the weather. Partying wasn’t really my thing. It never was, but I could always make a safe distance and explore around the beach. Hanna on the other hand, was definitely the party-type. She always invited to come with her, but I always declined it because of my weak heart. Also, because I wasn’t very good at mingling with strangers. I usually came off as silent, shy type around people who don’t know me except when I’m around Ji Mi, Wan, and Hanna. But lately, I noticed I’ve been taking such daring moves against Bang Yong Guk. Moves, I was sure would get me into trouble in terms with their gang. For some reason my emotions all felt heightened. If I felt mad, I was furious. If I was happy then I was overjoyed. I wondered if this was something normal when it came to my new heart. It wasn’t a human heart after all. I made a mental note to ask Uncle Han about this the next time I’d see him.                “A beach party?” I repeated. “In the middle of the winter?”                “Middle? Not even!” Hanna exclaimed. “Winter only started.”                “Still weird to have a beach party at this time,” I pointed out.                “Who cares?” Hannah asked. “A party is a party!”I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, how’d you get Taeyang to invite us to the party?” I asked Hanna.                “He wanted me to be his muse for the night. I told him I’d agree if I could bring at least one more friend. He reluctantly agreed,” Hanna answered.                “A muse?” I repeated. “Is that even how you use that term?”                “I’m using the slang term, Ms. Smarty Pants!” Hanna slapped my arm playfully as she laughed.                “Which is?” I urged her to explain.                “Wow.” Hanna rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Muse is like an inspiration for an artist.”                “An inspiration? Why would he use you for inspiration?” I asked.                “I’m sure, he meant to use the term ‘date’.” Hanna said. “Anyway, he agreed to add you to the list. “So you in or what?”                I sighed and rolled my eyes to pretend like I wasn’t looking forward to it. If I seemed anxious then she’d definitely think I had a thing for G-Dragon even though I don’t. “Fine. I’ll go,” I answered.                “Great! Let’s come over to my place to get ready. We still got time since it’s only 1:30,” Hanna said glancing at her wrist watch.                “What time does the party start?” I asked.                “Six o’clock,” Hanna answered as she dangled her purse over her shoulder. “It ends until…whenever!” She chuckled. “Let’s go!”                “We can get ready at my place since it’s closer,” I said.                “But won’t your dad ask questions if he saw us?” Hanna asked.                “He won’t be home tonight,” I said, aware of what Dad would be up to. I frowned on the inside at the thought, but smiled outside. “He’s got a thing.”                Hanna shrugged. “Okay. Whatever. Either way works for me.”                We both stood up from our seats and exited the café. I had a feeling deep down that going to this party was a bad idea. A little voice inside my head was screaming not to go. But being the stubborn girl that I was, I chose to ignore it like every human being would. I was taught never to trust my instincts. Whoever taught me that, I should’ve ripped his/her head off… ----                 Hanna was right about the thirty minute drive to the beach. We drove past the airport and reached the beach minutes after that. From a distance I could see people gathered around, dancing and drinking. As expected, most of them were wearing warm bundles of clothing. I’d have to call them all crazy if they were going to wear summer clothes during this weather. We already had our first snowfall this week and wearing such thin clothes would be plain stupid. I’m sure no one would be able to enjoy the party if they were freezing to death!                “There’s Taeyang!” Hanna pointed somewhere with one hand and kept her other hand on the steering wheel.                There were a lot of people in the crowd so I couldn’t really tell who she was pointing too. Plus, I didn’t really remember Taeyang’s face. There were also a few other guys were walking around with Mohawks of different lengths and colors. “I don’t see him,” I replied to Hanna while I tried to spot him.                “He’s the one with the short, black Mohawk with the sides of his head shaved,” Hanna said before placing her hand back on the steering wheel.                “Well, that narrows it down to like…fifty of the guys I see,” I replied sarcastically.                 Hanna laughed. “Whatever. You’ll know his face when I introduce you to him,” Hanna said as she drove into the parking spot.                  It wasn’t that hard to find a parking spot since the whole beach was reserved for invited guests only. Hanna just needed to give the guard our names and he let us drive through. There were a lot of parking spaces available. Hanna chose a spot closest to the party. Once we parked, she shut off the engine of her car and we both got out.                 It was pretty chilly outside. Made me glad that I dressed warmly for tonight. I wore a pastel pink knitted sweater that had a loose fit. Underneath I wore a white thermal for extra warmth. I had chunky, knitted, white scarf wrapped around my neck and nearly covered a portion of my chin. I let my waves dangle freely to my waist like a free veil. My bottoms were black jeggings and the shoes I decided to wear were beige uggs. I would’ve walked barefoot, but then again it was too cold for that. Hanna would tell me that there are more important things than comfort. I’d have to disagree with her on that. Hanna decided to wear something that looked nice, but too cold for warmth. She wore a lacey beige top and a lavender skirt. Underneath she wore purple tights with ankle cropped cream boots. Over all she wore it with a black coat. I hope her outfit was warmer than it looked. Even though I told her to dress warmer, she insisted on wearing her outfit so she’d look good for Taeyang. Even though she insisted on it, I’d feel responsible if she got sick.                It wasn’t really night time yet. The sky was still a mixture of red, orange, and purple from the sunset. The waters of the ocean were dark with silvery glare from the lightning of the sun. It was a romantic scene. Seemed like Hanna was going to have a good time tonight besides the fact that she wasn’t dressed as warm. I guess, if she stayed by the fire than she’d be fine.                “Taeyang! Over here!” Hanna waved at a guy who was approaching us.                The sides of his head were shaved. In the middle of his crown was a short black Mohawk.  He had nice light skin, and high cheek-bones that sharpened his features. He had tiny squinted eyes and diamond studs on both of his ears. He wore a dark gray hoodie with black starts on one sleeve and a furry black hood. There was a button on his breast pocket with a stop hand printed on it. He wore fingerless gloves and sagging denims with black Nikes. I had to hand to Hanna. He was a hottie! I was surprised that I didn’t remember his face if he was Hanna’s tattoo artist.                 Once Taeyang reached us, he smiled. “Hey, Hanna! Glad you made it,” he greeted her. Then he turned to me. “Is this your friend?” he asked.                 “Yeah. She’s the one G-Dragon worked on for her tattoo,” Hanna answered.                 “Oh! The chick who left her phone!” Taeyang chuckled. “Well, GD was pretty ticked off that night. He hates having his sleep interrupted.”                 “Really?” Hanna said. “I’m sure Rae here was able to give him enough comfort.” She nudged my side and gave me a teasing smile.                  I rolled my eyes at her. “No kidding?” Taeyang exclaimed before draping an arm around Hanna. He sure was getting touchy for a first date. “He does have a thing for petite chicks.” He winked at me.                  I sighed. “I’ll leave you two alone,” I said, walking away from the soon-to-be-couple. I was pretty sure that this would be Hanna’s third boyfriend this year. I use to keep track, but I found it exhausting. Hanna’s real trouble with guys wasn’t landing them. It was keeping them. As for me, I had a hard time landing a guy. Period.                 Someone was already starting a fire not far from the crowd. I decided to join them since I was craving for some roasted marshmallows. There were about six to eight people gathered around the fire. I didn’t recognize their faces, but it wasn’t like I would speak to them. Hanna told me that I was free to take any food or beverage at the party since they were all provided by Big Bang. The closer I got to the group, I was able to distinguish their gender. There were seven people total gathered. Most of them looked like couples. If I were to do the math than I’d guess one of the guys was still single since there were four guys and three girls. I guess he was only there for the roasted marshmallows and drinks. There were four bags of huge marshmallows and a box of fancy-looking metal sticks with a loop at one end and another sharp edge on the other end. Wow! They even had fancy sticks for holding the marshmallows. At least we would’ve to use dirty sticks on the beach to hold the marshmallows.                Once I was close enough, one of the guys waved at me. To be sure he was, I looked behind me. No one else was approaching the bonfire other than me. I looked back at him and pointed at myself to confirm if he was waving at me. He gave a welcoming smile and nodded as he gestured me to come and join them. By the time I reached the group, the fire was big enough to roast something.  I sat down beside a couple and they passed me one of the fancy metal sticks. They all introduced themselves to me and I gave my name in return, bowing my head slightly at everyone. I didn’t bother trying to t remember their names, because the chances of us meeting again would be slim.                I reached for a marshmallow and stabbed it against the sharp end of the stick. Then I stuck it into the fire. When I saw it combust into flames, I pulled it out and blew out the fire. My white marshmallow was now half burnt. I gave it a few light blows to cool it down before popping it into my mouth. It was crispy, chewy, and sweet all at the same time. I smiled in satisfaction as I chewed the marshmallow in my mouth.                “Is it good?” I heard an unfamiliar male voice ask me.                 I turned to my left where the voice was coming from and found the single guy taking a seat right next to me. He had long swayed black hair with bangs that nearly covered half of his face that was purposely tousled like that. He had high cheek bones that were much sharper than Taeyang’s and his eyes were squinted but much bigger and droopier than Taeyang’s. He was expcetionally handsome, but with a hint of danger. I remembered he introduced himself as Top in the group.                 I nodded at his question. “Yeah, it’s good,” I answered.                 “So is this your first party, Rae?” he asked.                 “How’d you guess?” I asked.                 “First timer chicks don’t really wear stuff like that to a party,” Top gestured at my outfit.                 “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked, sounding a bit annoyed.                 Top raised his hands in surrender, but smiled. “Nothing! It’s cute,” he answered. He reached for three marshmallows and stabbed one of them through my sticks for me. Then he stabbed the last two on his own stick.                 “Thanks,” I said before sticking my marshmallow into the fire. Once it was roasted, I cooled it down with a blow and popped it into my mouth.                 Suddenly on my peripheral vision, I saw the couple beside me lying down together with their lips locked on each other’s. The guy was lying on top of the girl with one of his hands down her pants. I made a look of disgust, watching this shameless couple in their PDA position. The other couples were also starting to make out with each other. Didn’t they have any shame? It was only now that I realized how dark it had gotten. The fire was the only thing that lit up the vicinity around them so the large crowd of people wouldn’t really see them unless they were up close. I wasn’t about to watch a couple perform public sex so I threw my stick back in to the empty box beside the one that contained the clean sticks.                 Just as I was about to stand up to make my leave, Top grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked at him, surprised. “What?”                 “Do you have a boyfriend?” Top asked.                 This was weird topic to get into with a guy I just met. “Um…no. Why?” I asked.                 “Well, since you’re single and you’re here,” Top started, “why don’t we have our own little party?”                 “No!” I answered sternly. “Back off, Top! I’m not interested.”                 “You don’t have to be interested in someone to have some bliss,” Top answered as he grabbed my other wrist. He scooted closer to me. “You’re cute and I’m hot. It works,” He pointed out.                 “No! Stop it!” I yelled at him. “Get away from me!”                 “C’mon, I know you like me, Rae,” he chuckled. “You don’t have to play ‘hard-to-get’ for my attention.”                 “No! I said stop!” I cried as he leaned closer to me. “Stop it!”                 Top wasn’t listening to me at all. The closer he got, the more I leaned back to distance my face from his. But then I ended up on my back with his top half hovering over me. Both of his arms were trapping me in between them so I had no escape route. He smiled at me mischievously as he shut his eyes and brought his face closer to mine.                “She said 'stop,'” a deep voice said from behind me.                Someone kicked Top on the face and he fell back away from me. Then I was hauled up from the ground and pulled to my feet. A protective arm was wrapped around me and brought me close to my savior’s chest, which felt hard against my cheek. The person smelled a mixture of cologne and smoke from cigarettes. I looked up to see my savior’s face.                My eyes widened in shock when I found myself in Bang Yong Guk’s arms. {Author's Note:}Hello, my cupcakes! <3It's been almost a week since I posted for this story, huh?

Well, now that midterms are done expect more chapters to come!

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