A/N: Hi all! Only one review again? :( But anyways, thanks for reading and thanks a million to Nariko7star for your review and favouriting and following my fanfic! Glad to know that you are enjoying this story. Also, thank you to soshifan and WluckystarW for following the fanfic:)
So, can we just try for one more review this chapter? Two mini reviews for this chapter? No pressure:) Hope all of you are enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it :D
Disclaimer: I do not own BOF or any characters in it.
Ji Hoo's POV
Chae Hyun Ri. Immediately, my musically-inclined brain commits the name to memory. I cannot help but think that it sounds better than Geum Jan Di, whose name is easily confused with weed. I strike up an easy conversation with the new girl to reduce the tension between us. She answers with one-worders at first but as we progress, her tense body subtly eases up. Instead of standing upright and straight-backed, she allows her perfect façade to slip and she leans her body weight on her right leg, slouching a little.
Funny how I'm making so many detailed observations about her. Something about Chae Hyun Ri makes me want to know more about her. Maybe it's her striking hair, or the way she carries herself, or maybe… it's just me.
The familiar school bell rings and Hyun Ri gathers her things and heads for the door. I find that I am reluctant to see her go. It's perhaps due to the fact that I haven't had a proper conversation in ages. Something I am not expecting happens. At the door, Hyun Ri shouts to me, "Bye Ji Hoo!" Hearing her say my name, it sounds as though we have been friends for years. No one in this school, apart from the F3, has ever called me Ji Hoo. Not even Jan Di; it's always "Sunbae". Being called "sunbae" for so long, it's a nice change to have someone actually say my name. "Aren't you calling me sunbae?" I allow shock to cross my features. She playfully sticks her tongue out at me, and I laugh, gesturing at her to go on.
For the first time in days, I actually feel joy. A realization hits me in the gut. Chae Hyun Ri is able to make me happy. My lips curve up in a small smile as I walk along the corridor. Two people bickering boisterously makes me look up in curiosity. One of them sounds suspiciously like Jun Pyo in a bad mood. Raising my head, I see a girl grab Jun Pyo by the collar and in one fluid motion, she throws him over her shoulder. Even from a distance, I can see Jun Pyo sporting a slightly bloodied nose and a horrified expression. Before I can stop myself, the words are out in a second, "Jun Pyo? What are you doing on the floor?" The girl with auburn highlights turns at my voice.
Hyun Ri's POV
Ji Hoo is standing very still, taking in the awkward scene in front of him. Oh shit. It's Ji Hoo. I suck in a horrified breath. The fact that 'worm head', no, Jun Pyo's two friends are sniggering does not help matters. Throwing a dirty look at me, Jun Pyo stands and pinches the bridge of his nose, attempting to stem the blood flow. As for me, I touch one of my ponytails nervously and stare determinedly at the ground. "Hyun Ri? Did you just judo-flip Jun Pyo to the floor?" My head jerks upward in complete amazement. Ji Hoo smiles amusedly at the situation, just like Jun Pyo's two friends, he seems to be in no hurry to help Jun Pyo. Mentally, I sag with relief. At least he is not alarmed or angry.
"Yah!" Jun Pyo shouts at Ji Hoo. "Yoon Ji Hoo, you know her? Drag this crazy girl out now! What is this commoner," He spits out the word, "doing—" Before he gets out his sentence, I am already snarling and taking a threatening step towards him but something stops me. Ji Hoo is grasping my arm gently. At his touch, an unexplainable tingle travels along my nerves and my heart feels as though I've just completed a marathon. "Hyun Ri, I'm sure you have classes now. Why don't you go on first?" His tone has a teasing note to it. "Fine," I huff and stalk off after remembering to exchange death glares with Jun Pyo. The muffled snickers still linger in my head. Why does Ji Hoo have such rude and weird friends? Plus they act like they own the school!
Ji Hoo's POV
Woo Bin walks over and slaps Jun Pyo on the back. "Jun Pyo, you just found yourself an equivalent of Geum Jan Di. And her judo move? Wow, just wow." I grin, and pluck the handkerchief from Jun Pyo's coat pocket before handing it to him. Jun Pyo snatches it and holds it to his nose immediately. "Thanks," Jun Pyo grumbles.
"Yah Ji Hoo, you haven't smiled like this in a long time. Is it that girl?" I feel a weight on my shoulder and hear Yi Jeong speaking to me. Instantly, the grin is wiped from my face and my usual expressionless look replaces it. "She's just a friend. Don't get ideas," I warn Yi Jeong. "Just a friend," He repeats. I sense that the word "friend" has many different implications. "A friend, Ji Hoo?" I groan inwardly. Not Woo Bin, too.
But I can't keep the smile from my features as I recall Hyun Ri performing a judo backflip on Jun Pyo. It's almost as good as Jan Di's roundhouse kick. Almost. "Come on!" My train of thoughts halt as Jun Pyo beckons us over. "Are we going to stand here all day, digging information out of Ji Hoo who is never going to tell us anything? We're going to the lounge." At this, Yi Jeong raises an eyebrow. "What about the lessons?" Jun Pyo rolls his eyes in a familiar gesture and he points at his bleeding nose. "With this? I'm going to get that girl, Hyun something or other, for this." We all snort after hearing the empty threat. "Remember what Jan Di said…" I allow my sentence to trail off. Sulking like a spoilt child, Jun Pyo heads up the marble staircase to the lounge. Watching Jun Pyo stomp upstairs in a childish fit of pique, we laugh lightheartedly, reminded of the times when we were children.
Hyun Ri's POV
Clutching my books close to me, I wander down yet another hallway lined with unfamiliar classrooms. Gosh, how big can this school get? After a few more pointless walks around the school, I decide to pick my way to the entrance to retrace my steps in the hope that I will be able to find my next class which is starting in a mere 10 minutes. An off-course part of my mind subconsciously drifts back to the incident just now. Just a light touch on the arm. That's all, really. I can't seem to convince myself that my school years at Shinwa High will not be as uneventful as I wished and thought it would be. Not with the addition of a chestnut-haired angel who seems to have a penchant for white designer suits.
The clicking of high heels distract me. I turn my head to the right, my two ponytails whipping in the wind. The lady is dressed simply in a crisp white blouse with casual jeans. The end of her jeans are tucked into knee-high brown leather boots and a stylish fur coat is pulled messily over her shoulders. Despite this, the lady exudes an air of confidence and elegance in a unique way. A look of ecstasy sparkles on her face.
"Un—" I stop myself just in time. The sight of the lady makes my heart constrict in pain. Her resemblance to my unnie is uncanny. The unnie which I… I push that memory aside firmly as it pushes its way to the surface; a memory which I had tried so hard to keep under thick covers. "Hi! Hi!" I blink, unsure whether that lady is addressing me. She smiles warmly, and then deliberately beckons to me. "Yes, you. Come here!" She orders, but not imperiously. Like a magnet, I find myself drawn to her; the lady who is perfectly suitable to be my unnie's double.
"Are you a student here?" She asks, then continues without me answering. "Good, do you know where to find the swimming pools? I'm looking for a friend." I stammer out a sentence and point in a general direction. "It's over there, on the first level of the recreational block." I hope it's there, anyway. "Thank you so much! What's your name? Oh, you can call me unnie if you like." She makes an unnecessary bid at conversation, but I am grateful for that. Even if just for a moment, it feels like I'm talking to my unnie again. "Chae Hyun Ri." I reply shyly and her eyes light up again. "Hyun Ri? That's a nice name, I think, at least better than mine." She makes a face. "Mine's Ha Jae Kyung. See you around, I've got to go now! Bye!" Jae Kyung unnie waves to me as she runs off backward, filled to the brim with childlike energy.
Watching her back figure skip off gaily, memories of times spent with my fun-loving unnie threaten to spill out in the form of tears.
Hmm… How is it? I put it lots of effort into this, that's why it had such a late update. Next chapter will be more interesting, if I can fit everything in in one single chapter. But please, review? Look, the review button is simply tempting, you just want to type something into that box and press review… Come on, just one review, yeah?