CHAPTER 1 : the new student
Chapter 1: Gwiboon's POV
"Good morning class," Mrs. Landers said as she walked into the classroom. "I have some exciting news,"
Whatever exciting means in her dictionary, it almost always translates into something boring to us. What's she going to tell us now? We have to recycle in the cafeteria?
"We have a new student joining us," Mrs. Landers said.
New student? It's the middle of a semester. Who would be transferring to another school in the middle of a semester?
"Alice, pay attention," Mrs. Landers said, calling me by my American name and bringing my attention away from my nails and to the gorgeous boy standing right next to her.
"This is Dongwoon Son and he has come to us all the way from Korea," Mrs. Landers said excitedly. "Dongwoon, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself,"
"I am Dongwoon. I am sixteen-years-old and I like singing and dancing," He said with a smile that made all of the girls in the class swoon.
"That's great. Why don't you take a seat next to Alice?" Mrs. Landers suggested, pointing to me.
Smiling, Dongwoon came over and sat down at the desk next to mine.
"I lucked out. I'm sitting next to a Korean," Dongwoon whispere.
"Pay attention on the lesson," I hissed as I pointed to the board.
"Dongwoon, Alice, if you're going to speak to each other, speak in English," Mrs. Landers said.
"Great, you just got us in trouble. Thanks a lot," I snapped in a whisper.
"Oh, feisty. I like feisty," Dongwoon chuckled.
"Shut up, or I'll tell the teacher you're harassing me," I replied.
"By the way, what's your real name?" Dongwoon asked.
"What do you mean by my 'real name'?" I asked.
"Your name in Korean. You obviously don't go by Alice do you?" He laughed.
"Gwiboon," I said.
"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," He smiled.
"Quit trying to be a flirt and pay attention to the lesson," I ordered. "Player,"
"I am not!" Dongwoon said a little too loudly.
"Dongwoon, Alice, this is the second time I've had to stop for you two. Next time and you both get to see me in detention," Mrs. Landers said.
CHAPTER 2 : you live here too ?
Chapter 2: Gwiboon's POV
After the final bell rang, I packed my books and walked home, alone like always.
As I headed down the sidewalk, I found a pebble. I kicked in front of me, leaving it a couple of strides away from my feet.
I was about to kick it again, when I heard someone running.
"Gwiboon?" A guy asked from behind.
That's weird. No one ever calls my name unless it's my mother. And the only person who knows my Korean name is…Dongwoon.
"Oh good, it's you," Dongwoon said once he saw me turn around. "You're headed this way?"
"Yeah" I said quietly.
Why are you being so shy? You're not normally like this. You usually start a conversation easily and talk for hours on end. For once in my life, I don't know what to say to someone.
The both of us walked for a while in silence before I decided to break the ice.
"Where in Korea are you from?" I asked.
"Seoul," He replied. "You?"
"I'm American. I'm born and raised in California. My parents are from Daejeon," I answered.
"Explains the accent," Dongwoon said.
I probably sound so weird to him right now. All of these years going to Korean school just to learn the Seoul dialect have obviously been a waste of time. It's not my fault my parents only use the Chungcheong dialect at home.
"It's not that obvious, it's okay. It's really cute," Dongwoon reassured me with a smile.
"Thank you," I said, still sort of flustered by the fact that he could recognize my accent.
"Oh, I almost passed where I live," I said as I saw the sign to the apartment complex I lived in with my parents.
"You live here?" Dongwoon asked. "I live here too!"
"Wow, small world," I said with a nervous laugh.
We both got into the elevator and pressed the button for the floors our apartments were on. Our hands brushed against each other as we were pressed the buttons.
The sudden contact between us made my heart race. Not wanting to be stuck in that awkward moment, I pulled my hand away from the button first.
As we rode, I saw that the button that Dongwoon pressed was the floor number that came right after mine.
He lives upstairs?
CHAPTER 3 : failing
Chapter 3: Gwiboon's POV
"Dongwoon, Alice? May I please see you two after class?" Mrs. Landers asked.
Oh no. What did we do this time?
"Are you two aware of your grades in this class?" She asked.
What is she talking about?
"No," Dongwoon answered for both of us.
"You two are failing," Mrs. Landers said bluntly.
"F-f-failing?" I managed to stutter out.
Failing? Failing? That's not possible! I can't be failing. Okay, my test grades haven't been that great lately but geometry was never easy for me to begin with.
"I would hate to see you two fail your midterm exams, so I am arranging you two to have tutoring," Mrs. Landers. "Do you two know Jonghyun Kim?"
"My cousin?" Dongwoon asked in surprise.
"Sure," Mrs. Landers said. "He will be tutoring you two in the libraries on Wednesdays and Fridays. I have sent an email home to your parents that tell them about this plan,"
She wouldn't dare.
"You may go," Mrs. Landers said.
"Failing? My parents are going to kill me," I complained as I walked with Dongwoon to our next class, English.
"My parents are going to kill me," Dongwoon said.
"Your parents are in Korea," I pointed out.
"They're going to kill me from across the Pacific Ocean," Dongwoon said. "The reason why they sent me to live with Jonghyun and my aunt and uncle was so that I would stop getting into trouble at that elite prep school I told you about. When my aunt and uncle tell them that I'm failing, they're going to drag my sorry butt back to Korea and send me to a public school that has gangs!"
Although Dongwoon was tall, muscular, dreamy, and handsome, he could be such a wimp sometimes.
The only good thing that would be coming out of this would be that Dongwoon and I would get to spend more time together.
CHAPTER 4 : confessing
Chapter 4: Gwiboon's POV
"So," I said as I walked home with Dongwoon that day.
"So," He replied before chuckling softly.
Gosh, he has such a cute laugh, and a beautiful smile, and nice skin, nice hair, nice body.
Snap out of it Gwiboon.
"Are you scared to go home today?" He then asked me softly.
Aw, and he's caring and sweet.
Gwiboon, maybe your grades are slipping because you sit next to him in class. You have to stop thinking about him so much.
"Yes," I said. "And how about you?"
"I better start packing for Korea," He joked.
Even when things are bad, he can still joke and laugh it off. I love how he thinks so optimistically all of the time.
"Dongwoon?" I asked suddenly, breaking the momentary silence between us.
"Yes Gwiboon?" He asked.
I love the way he says my name.
Okay Gwiboon, stop stalling. You've liked him for so long now. What has it been, two months? Just tell him. What do you have to lose? The worst he could possibly say is no.
"I need to tell you something that may totally make everything between us really awkward and weird but I need to tell you this," I said quickly.
"Okay, what is it?" He asked, sending me one of his signature heart melting smiles.
"I like you," I said.
"I like you too," Dongwoon said with a smile.
"No, I mean I like you. Like, I really like you," I said, thinking that he didn't get what I was trying to tell him. "Like, more than a friend like you,"
He stopped in his tracks and then turned around to face me. Each second he made me wait for his response made my heart race faster.
Was it a good idea to tell him? What if I just ruined our entire friendship right then and there?
"Please say something?" I asked, not wanting to only hear the wind whistling by my ears instead of Dongwoon's deep and soothing voice.
"I don't feel the same way about you Gwiboon," Dongwoon said. "I'm sorry. You're a good friend and I really appreciate our friendship. But I don't want to be in a relationship,"
"Is it because of an ex-girlfriend or something?" I asked.
"I just don't want to be tied down yet," He said. "I want to date around, not just stick to one person. I mean, what if that girl of my dreams just waltzes right past me and I wouldn't notice it because I have a girlfriend,"
I knew he was too good to be true. All guys always end up having some sort of downfall. In his case, he's afraid of commitment and is a player.
"Are you okay?" Dongwoon asked.
"I'm fine," I said before I walked off quickly.
When I got back home, I ran into my room and began to cry.
Why do I feel so bad? I've had other guys reject me before. Why is he worth crying for?
I shouldn't have told him anything. Gosh, I feel so stupid right now.
CHAPTER 5 : thank you jonghyun
Chapter 5: Dongwoon's POV
"Please say something?" Gwiboon asked me with a pleading look in her eyes.
As much it will hurt her, I have to tell her the truth.
"I don't feel the same way about you Gwiboon," I sighed. "I'm sorry. You're a good friend and I really appreciate our friendship. But I don't want to be in a relationship,"
"Is it because of an ex-girlfriend or something?" She asked me tearfully, just like all of the other girls I've had to reject in Korea.
"I just don't want to be tied down yet," I said as I began giving my usual speech. "I want to date around, not just stick to one person. I mean, what if that girl of my dreams just waltzes right past me and I wouldn't notice it because I have a girlfriend?"
I could see it in her eyes. Gwiboon's heart was breaking. No matter how many times I've seen this happen, the guilt and pain of watching a girl crumble like that in front of me doesn't ease up.
"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"I'm fine," She said bitterly before running off.
Slowly, I began heading back to the apartment. I don't get it. One second, we're best friends and then the next, she has her heart broken and is crying. Girls can be so complicated sometimes.
"Care to explain what's going on?" Jonghyun hyung asked as I entered the living room.
"Gwiboon's upset," I sighed.
"I wasn't asking about your love life," Jonghyun hyung said as he rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about what really matters, your grades. Failing? Seriously Dongwoon?"
"You know I was never good at math in the first place," I said, trying to defend myself. "Have aunt and uncle seen yet?" I asked nervously.
"No," He said. "And you're lucky that they don't get home from work in another hour and can't use a computer to save their lives. I deleted the message from your teacher after I read it,"
"Thanks hyung," I said gratefully.
"You're not going to be saying that when I begin tutoring you tomorrow," He laughed as he headed to the room we shared.
CHAPTER 6 : the first tutoring
Chapter 6: Gwiboon's POV
The next day at school, everything was really awkward between Dongwoon and me. I knew that telling him would be a bad idea but why did I listen to my gut and do it anyways?
When the final bell rang, I began dreading the walk home with Dongwoon when I remembered that I had my first day of tutoring today with that Kim Jonghyun guy.
Wait, Dongwoon will be there too, so the walk home doesn't even matter anymore. How come, when I don't want to see him anymore, he appears everywhere I go?
Sighing, I unpacked my backpack again and put all of my things back into my locker except for my math notebook and my pencil case and headed to the library.
"Hi," I said to the person with his back towards me.
"Hello," He said as he turned around.
Oh. My. Gosh. He is gorgeous, possibly even more attractive than Dongwoon. Nice smile, perfect skin, and I've heard he's like a genius.
"I'm Jonghyun," He said in slightly accented English. "Are you Alice?"
"Yes," I said with a shy smile.
"Hyung!" I heard Dongwoon call out.
"Hey Dongwoon," Jonghyun said.
"Oh, hi Gwiboon," Dongwoon then added.
"You speak Korean?" Jonghyun asked me.
"Yes," I said. "We can do the tutoring in Korean,"
"Sounds good," Jonghyun said. "Both of you take a seat somewhere and I'll hand you the math worksheets that your teacher gave me to give to you,"
"I hate proofs," I groaned as I looked over the worksheet Jonghyun just gave me.
Out of all of the things in geometry, two column proofs were what killed me the most on exams. The information they give you in the problem is not nearly enough information for me to prove what the problem is asking. The only good thing about them is that there is a picture included, but even those don't help much.
I began trying to work on the first problem on the page and thinking of all of the definitions, theorems, and postulates I could possibly use to try and prove what the question wants me to. But after three attempts at the problem, I gave up and slumped my head down on the table as a sign of defeat.
"What's wrong?" Jonghyun asked as he came over.
"I can't figure it out," I sighed as I sat up.
"It's easy," Jonghyun said as he sat down on the edge of the table after he skimmed the problem over for a couple of seconds.
Of course it's easy to you. Weren't you ranked number one in your class back in Korea?
"Look," He said, taking my pencil as he began walking me through the problem.
After explaining it a couple of times, I finally understood. Why can't Mrs. Landers explain it this well? It's so easy.
With Jonghyun watching, I was able to finish the first sheet.
"Good!" Jonghyun said with a smile as he handed me the second sheet. "Now let's see how you are with the true or false questions that will appear on your midterm exam,"
"Hyung! Can you help me?" Dongwoon called out from across the library.
"You shouldn't be yelling in a library Son Dongwoon," Jonghyun chided as he walked over.
Maybe getting over Dongwoon would be easier than I thought it would be.
CHAPTER 7 : did i just say that out loud
Chapter 7: Gwiboon's POV
"Jonghyun oppa!" I exclaimed happily when I finally found him at the end of the school day.
I've been looking all over for him today because our class had just received our test scores for the midterm we took last week.
"Hey," He smiled as I ran towards him.
"Guess what?" I asked him.
"What?" Jonghyun oppa asked as he chuckled.
"I got an I got an A on my midterm!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms around him, grabbing him into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much oppa!"
"You're welcome Gwiboon," Jonghyun oppa said, patting me on the back in return.
"It's all because of the tutoring! You're an amazing teacher oppa," I continued to compliment as we both headed out of the school building together.
"I'm glad to hear that Gwiboon," Jonghyun smiled.
Whenever he smiled, my heart began to race.
"So, do you know what Dongwoon got on the midterm?" Jonghyun oppa asked.
"No, I don't," I replied. "You can ask him when you get home right?"
I haven't talked to Dongwoon for weeks now. We don't even sit next to each other in class anymore. It's gotten so awkward between us. Sometimes, I still wish that I didn't tell him that I liked him, or even liked him in that way to begin with.
"Yeah," Jonghyun oppa nodded. "Let's go get hot chocolate. My treat,"
Tutoring allowed Jonghyun oppa and I to become really close and it even helped me get over Dongwoon quickly. But the problem with Jonghyun oppa was that he never noticed what I did to try and show him that I liked him.
"I guess we're not going to be seeing each other anymore," Jonghyun oppa said as he sipped his drink.
"We'll still be friends though, right?" I asked hopefully. "Or maybe something more than just friends," I added quietly.
"Excuse me?" Jonghyun oppa asked in shock.
CHAPTER 8 : she's no different from gayeon
Chapter 8: Jonghyun's POV
"We'll still be friends though, right?" Gwiboon asked with a shy smile. "Or maybe something more than just friends,"
"Excuse me?" I asked.
Did she just say what I think she said?
"I like you, Jonghyun oppa," Gwiboon said.
"I have to go," I said as I got up from my seat in the Starbucks.
"Jonghyun oppa, wait," She pleaded.
Only a few weeks ago, she was crying over Dongwoon and now she likes me? What am I to her? A rebound?
She's no different from Gayeon. Are all women the same?
"Hyung," Dongwoon said as I stormed into the apartment and slammed the front door behind me.
I put my back against the wall and slid down to the floor. The memories I had with Gayeon were beginning to flood my mind again. I shook my head to try and get them out of my mind, but it was useless. Nothing was ever going to get rid of them.
"Hyung, what's wrong?" Dongwoon asked as he rushed into the room. "You're going to startle the neighbors if you continue to be like this. Just tell me what's wrong,"
"Why did I fall for her?" I asked myself as tears began to blur my vision.
"Who?" Dongwoon asked. "Wait…that her?"
"Yes, that her," I said.
"Why are you remembering her all of a sudden?" Dongwoon asked with a puzzled expression on his face. "You've been fine for the past year and a half. Why all of a sudden now?"
"Gwiboon," I spat at him. "She's exactly like her,"
"What are you talking about?" He asked, who was now completely lost.
"She told me she liked me today," I snarled. "She's just using me,"
"That's not true!" He exclaimed.
"Why are you defending her?" I asked bitterly. "It's because of you that she feels the need to use me as a rebound!"
"She's not like that!" Dongwoon argued. "Wait…what?"
"It wasn't long ago that she was crying to me, asking why you didn't like her," I spat.
"She must've really liked me," Dongwoon said guiltily.
"Yeah," I said. "Aish, why do I have such bad luck with women?" I asked out loud in frustration as more tears began to fill my eyes at the thought of Gayeon.
"You don't," Dongwoon said. "You just suck at choosing the right girl,"
"Shut up," I laughed as I shoved him aside.
"It's true," He said. "I told you from the beginning that I didn't like Gayeon,"
"I know," I sighed. "Are all women the same Dongwoonie?"
"Yeah, they are," He said. "Until you meet the one that you're fated to be with,"
CHAPTER 9 : can we be friends again ?
Chapter 9: Gwiboon's POV
"Alice," I heard someone say as I walked out of English class.
"Jonghyun oppa," I said in shock once I had turned around to see who it was.
What is he doing here? I haven't talked to him since I accidentally confessed to him in the café a while back.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked.
"Sure," I said.
"Look, about…" He began to say.
"You don't see me that way," I said as I looked at the ground.
"Yeah," He admitted quietly. "I was kind of freaked out then. The last time a girl had any interest in me, I got hurt,"
"I get it," I said with a small smile. "We can still be friends, right?"
"Want to walk with me back home?" Jonghyun oppa asked after he nodded yes in response to my question.
"Yeah," I said. "I just need to get my stuff. Meet me at the front of the school?"
"I'll be there," He smiled as he walked off towards his locker.
As I walked to my locker, I had a huge smile on my face. I have Jonghyun oppa back as a friend. He may not like me like I hoped, but it's better than him being out of my life for good.
"So…" I said as we walked back to the apartment complex.
I wasn't expecting things to be so awkward between us. Then again, we haven't talked for several weeks, so maybe being so comfortable around each other is probably a big jump for the both of us.
"I get if you don't want to talk about it," I began.
"You're wondering about that girl who liked me," Jonghyun oppa sighed.
"You don't have to tell me," I interjected.
"No, it's alright," He said.
Jonghyun oppa had a girlfriend? Well, it probably shouldn't be so surprising. He's good looking and smart. What girl wouldn't like that?
"She was older than me," Jonghyun oppa started to explain. "It was a two year gap between us. When we began dating, she had just gotten out of a relationship with an older guy. She was just using me as a rebound,"
"I'm sorry oppa," I said.
"It's been two years since we broke up. It's okay," He reassured me with a smile.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," I said once we got to the entrance to the apartment building.
"See you," Jonghyun oppa said, waving goodbye as he walked in first.
"Gwiboon," I heard someone say from behind.
Slowly, I turned around to see who it was.
"Dongwoon," I whispered as my eyes widened and my heart began to race at the sight of him.
How long has it been since I've heard him say my name?
FiNAL : will you be my girlfriend
Chapter 10: Gwiboon's POV
"Hi," Dongwoon said, being the first to break the silence between us.
"Hi," I answered shyly.
Just looking at him made my heart beat faster. What's wrong with me? I thought I got rid of those feelings a while ago.
"How have you been?" I asked.
"Good," Dongwoon said.
What else do I say? Talking to Dongwoon was even more awkward than talking to Jonghyun oppa. How long has it been since we've talked? Two months?
"I'm sorry I haven't really come and talked to you since, you know," Dongwoon said.
"It's okay," I reassured him.
Although it hurt that I had lost his friendship for two months but I was actually a bit glad that he didn't talk to me after I confessed to him. If he did then the healing process after being rejected by him would have been longer and much more painful. Not talking to him for a while kind of gave me the opportunity to focus on myself and improve my grades, which my parents were very happy about.
"Well, while we weren't really speaking, I was thinking," Dongwoon said. "That back when you told me that you liked me, I was being immature and stupid,"
"That's not true," I said.
"Yes, it is," Dongwoon said. "I can't believe it took me this long to finally realize this but, I like you Gwiboon, I like you a lot,"
Did he just say he likes me?
"I get it if you've moved on," Dongwoon began to say.
"My feelings for you haven't changed," I said as I grabbed him in a hug. "I thought I liked Jonghyun, but really that was just filling the void of not having someone to like. For this entire time, I've liked you Son Dongwoon,"
"So you forgive me, even after all I've done to you?" Dongwoon asked hopefully.
"Of course," I replied with a smile.
"Gwiboon?" Dongwoon asked once he let go of me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Can I…kiss you right now?" He asked.
Before I could even respond, he kissed me.
When our lips met, instantly, a warm, tingly sensation began to overwhelm my body and fireworks began going off in my mind.
I couldn't help but smile a bit and wrap my arms around his neck.
"And one more thing, Gwiboon?" Dongwoon asked once we pulled apart. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Yes," I smiled before we kissed again.
