-Gardenia-
-3-
#
I anxiously waited for JanDi to come out, and I began pacing without realizing, until I felt a hand grab onto my shoulder to stop me from pacing anymore. I looked over and saw Woobin holding onto my shoulder.
"Can you chill out? This is the 3rd time you've stepped on my shoe. She'll come out sooner or later." He reassured, and I covered my mouth as soon as I realized that I've been stepping on his shoes.
"I'm so sorry!" I gasped, as I bowed politely, and he chuckled, mocking my bow.
"It's no problem." He genuinely smiled.
JanDi finally walked down, in a light pink evening gown, and everyone around the staircase was completely astonished. She looked like an adorable princess. I looked around, and found Junpyo walking in, and looking completely amazed, as he approached her. I absentmindedly smiled, as I knew that he'd ask her to dance. Once I looked over again, I saw Jihoo walk over to her, and offer his hand for a dance, in which she shyly took.
I looked away quickly, and saw as Junpyo stormed out, obviously jealous. I sighed, and turned back to YiJung and Woobin's conversation. I shuffled uncomfortably, as they talked about something I couldn't focus on.
"So, are you having fun, Sohee?" Woobin asked, as I snapped out of my thoughts. I politely smiled, and shrugged.
"It's better than staying home and listening to music, I guess." I smiled, probably sounding like the most boring person in the entire world. I looked back at him, and he nodded. 'Start conversation and stop being such a party pooper' I cursed in my mind.
"Are you willing to have your feet stepped on by some killer high heels?" I joked, as I pointed to Ginger's stilettos. Woobin shuddered, and shook his head.
"The only thing I want to make contact with is that door," He began, and I laughed, joining along.
"The only thing I want to make contact with is some fun," I sighed, and he gave a chuckle.
"The only thing I want to make contact with is that girl," Yijung wiggled his brows, before making his way towards a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes. Woobin and I glanced at each other, before bursting out into laughter.
"Yijung will never change." We both said at the same time. As soon as the laughter died down, a comfortable silence took us over, as we watched the couples dancing. I saw Seohyun and Jihoo dancing and automatically looked at my shoes.
"Do you want to dance with me?" Woobin suddenly asked, and I looked up to see him holding his hand out for me to take. I realized in that moment that I've never really taken a good look at Song Woobin, though we were very much friends throughout our childhood. Woobin was usually the busiest out of the F4 members, and at times he'd go away for a while without explanation. From what I remembered, he was a good guy, though he'd also join in on the tiny pranks that the F4 would pull.
I nodded at him, and took his hand, which was very soft. "Thank you for offering, I was beginning to feel like a bit of an outcast." I joked, and he laughed at that. I mostly adverted away from eye-contact, because it made me completely nervous.
"So, how have you been lately?" Woobin suddenly asked, and I looked up to him. I smiled, and laughed, embarrassed.
"Are you making small-talk with me Song Woobin?" I teased, as he raised his eyebrows, and gave a smug smile as soon as he saw that I was joking with him.
"What? Am I not entitled to?" He chuckled, and I shook my head playfully.
"We've barely talked to each other since middle school, and you're asking me this," I joked, as he chuckled.
"Are you going to answer the question?" He asked, and I realized that he was actually anticipating my answer, and not just making small talk. I smiled nervously, and looked up at him.
"I'm doing great, thank you for asking," I nodded, as he smiled. "How about y-" My next sentence was interrupted by a student bursting in.
"He fell in! Gu Junpyo fell into the water!" The student yelled, and I worriedly began running towards the pool. Junpyo isn't a strong swimmer at all, and swimming scares him to death.
I ran outside to find JanDi attempting CPR on him. She was completely soaked, and most likely jumped in to save him. I anxiously watched as JanDi cursed while trying to help him become conscious again. Once JanDi turned around for a brief second, I saw Junpyo's lips curve into a smirk, and I couldn't help but smile as well.
"That Junpyo is a very smooth guy," I whispered to Woobin, who was next to me, and he chuckled silently, agreeing with what I said.
JanDi attempted mouth to mouth, and Junpyo's eyes opened at the exact moment her's did. "W-What the hell!?" She shouted, quickly pushing him away. Junpyo began to laugh, while making kissy noises with his mouth. She fumed, and strongly swung at his face with her fist, punching him in the face. She got up, and stormed off, completely disgusted.
Junpyo looked at all of us, while giving a thumbs up, and I shook my head.
#
As soon as I walked into school, I walked towards the Performing Arts section of the building. The dance season just began once again, and I was more than happy to break in a new pair of dance shoes, and hopefully not break my leg like last season.
I listened to music on my phone on my way in, and noticed that it just snowed last night. I thought about how I should watch where I'm walking, but ironically I slipped because I ignored a piece of ice.
I felt as though my life was flashing before my eyes, even though I'd be completely okay if I fell over.
Two hands grabbed me by my sides and helped me up before I could make a fool out of myself. My heart began racing, and I let out a gasp, looking up at who just grabbed me up. Woobin made an army salute, as I took a sigh, and bowed politely.
"Thank you for helping me." I bowed. He grinned, and shrugged.
"Anytime. Just watch where you're going next time, You don't want to fall for me so quickly." He
winked, and smugly grinned, and I shook my head, scoffing as I put my headphones into my bag.
"Oh!" He began, as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "I'm glad I saw you, because I meant to give you this!" He exclaimed, as he handed it to me.
"It's Seohyun's birthday party! You're going to be there, hm?" He smiled, as I playfully narrowed my eyes at him.
"First small talk, and now you're inviting me to parties?" I teased, as I raised my eyebrows, and he chuckled, throwing his hands up in defense.
"Don't shoot the messenger," He defended, and I began to laugh.
"Of course I'll be at Seohyun's party." I smiled, and he returned the smile, and ruffled my hair.
"Good," He started, as he began to walk off, then he turned around. "Also, your flirting is very cute." He grinned, as he walked off.
"If you think that was flirting, you have a colorful imagination!" I scoffed. Once he was gone, I glared into his direction once more before huffing, and heading to my class.
#
Seohyun's party was thrown in a dimly-lit evening club. JanDi and I walked in with our elbows locked. Once we spotted the F4, JanDi was hesitant, and froze. She quickly hid behind me, mumbling about Junpyo.
"JanDi, remember you're here for Seohyun, and not that asshole!" I sighed, as I locked shoulders with her again, and JanDi pouted.
"You have me right here, and I promise that our fun won't be ruined by hi-" My promise was cut off by YiJung hastily approaching us.
"Jagiya, why are you late?" He loudly asked JanDi, as he grabbed her along to the F4 table. I cringed, and followed after.
Junpyo glared at JanDi as she came towards the table. "Why are you here?" He rudely asked, as JanDi cringed.
"Seohyun-eonnie invited me…" She trailed off, as Junpyo scanned her outfit. He scoffed, and shook his head.
"Did you rob Sohee's closet or something?" He snottily remarked, making me glare.
"She came late last time, but if you make JanDi up, she looks quite pretty," Woobin enthusiastically switched the subject, and I smiled at the kind gesture.
"She's the cutest one here yet again." Yijung commented as well, making JanDi shyly smile.
"Pretty?" Junpyo interrupted. "Drawing lines on a watermelon won't make it a pumpkin." He coldly shrugged, getting the idiom correct for the first time in forever.
"He actually got the idiom correct…" Woobin trailed off, and Yijung glanced too.
We were interrupted by cheering, and looked over to see Seohyun walking with her elbows locked with Jihoo. She wore a black dress, while he wore all white. They were the complete contrast of each other, and it was still perfect.
Once the beautiful cake was brought out, Jihoo pulled out his violin, and began to play a rendition of "Happy Birthday". Seohyun seemed touched by how many faces there were, and I noticed that she was becoming teary-eyed.
Once the music ended, and Seohyun blew out the candles, everyone wholeheartedly clapped for her, and she bowed gracefully.
"Thank you, everyone for coming here," She began, with a smile on her face. "Before we begin the celebration, though. I apologize but I have to make a big announcement." She said, looking genuinely apologetic. Everyone curiously looked over to her, as she began to speak.
"I will be succeeding on my own terms, and not by my parents. I have goals for bigger, and brighter things, and I will be moving to France for good." She said, as calmly as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jihoo leave the room.
"It all makes sense now," Woobin whispered. "That's why he's been so down lately." He finished, as the party resumed, and Seohyun went up the staircase that Jihoo went up. I looked over to JanDi, who had tears brimming her eyes.
"I'll be right back," She quietly said, as she stood up to look for a restroom, I presumed. Junpyo immediately followed.
"So, I'm stuck with you two again." I crossed my arms, as I faced Woobin and Yijung.
"Trust me, I'm not too enthusiastic about it either," Yijung started, until he glanced over at the group of girls who were glaring at him.
"But anything is better than being murdered." He shuddered.
One of the girls stood up from the table, and she came over to our table, crossing her arms angrily. She suddenly grabbed Yijung to motion that they needed to talk.
"I guess I'm being hoisted away," Yijung cringed, as she pulled at his tie. We watched as Yijung was pulled away, and we playfully waved.
"Why is it that lately I'm always left to babysit you?" Woobin playfully muttered, and I playfully glared.
"I don't know about you," I started, getting a curious glance from Woobin, as I stared in the distance.
"But I came here for food, and from the looks of it, that cake is being used as decoration." I pouted, as the cake was completely untouched. Woobin chuckled at my reaction, and suddenly stood up.
"Then, follow me," He began, as he put his coat over my shoulders.
"It's going to be cold outside." He commented, and I stood up, completely confused about where he would take me.
Once we got to his car, he began to text something, and started his engine. While driving, he kept texting, and I began to glare at him.
"Hey!" I shouted, and he jumped.
"Jesus, what!?" He shouted in English, and noticed my glare.
"Keep your eyes on the road," I pouted. "As long as I'm in the car at least, you can drive recklessly on your own time." I glared, and he smirked.
"Try and stop me," He winked, as he started speeding, and I swore that I felt my stomach flip, as I shouted for him to stop playing.
#
"How much farther?" I complained, as we walked into a building. Woobin playfully glared, as we made our way towards the elevator.
"You were the one who wanted food, stop whining already, you child." He teased, as I puffed out my cheeks. As soon as he pressed the elevator button, my stomach began to drop, and I hesitantly walked towards the doors.
"W-we're taking the elevators..?" I stuttered, and he gave me a weird look.
"How else are are we supposed to go up 25 floors?" He asked, as I gulped. He noticed my reaction, and chuckled.
"Are you scared?" He asked, as we walked into the elevator. The doors closed, and I automatically felt my throat closing up.
"I'll hold your hand if you're scared." He winked, and I playfully hit him. As soon as the elevator began moving, I felt uneasy on my feet.
"In your dreams." I said, as I gained composure and crossed my arms. Woobin laughed for a second, and I looked over at him curiously.
"See? We're okay, Sohee! You did it!" He encouraged, as I realized that I'm actually okay. I smiled subconsciously.
"This isn't too bad!" I cheered, as the elevator came to a stop on the 25th floor. As soon as it opened, I ran out though. "Thank god I made it out alive!" I pouted, as Woobin shook his head and chuckled.
"You're so dramatic." He laughed, and I scrunched up my nose. I noticed that we were on the building's rooftop. I could see the entire city of Seoul from where we were standing.
"A rooftop?" I curiously asked, as he nodded, and pointed at a display. The closer we got, the more that I realized that it was a cool picnic type of set up. My eyes immediately brightened at the sight of the picnic basket, which most likely had food in it.
"This is too awesome!" I exclaimed as I sat down, and he smiled at my reaction.
"I needed time away from those 3 drama-causers," He chuckled, as he sat next to me. "And Yijung got dragged along before I could drag him along to this tiny after-party I threw." He shook his head, and looked at me, who was practically buried into the picnic basket.
"So I guess I'm stuck with a hungry, whiny child." He muttered to himself, but I could tell that he wanted me to hear it.
"That's how you treat your only party guest?" I glared, as I bit into some cake. He shrugged, as he took some food out of the basket for himself.
#
As we went back into the elevator when we were done, I felt a lot more calm about being in elevators already. We stood in silence for a few seconds, and then the elevator started going downwards. It was still a feeling that my stomach wasn't used to.
"We'll be fine, you child." Woobin reassured, noticing my nervousness. I shakily smiled back at him, and the elevator began to shake.
"Oh god, what is that?" I nervously asked, and even Woobin was confused. The elevator came to a stop, but we kept shaking. The engine to the elevator shut down, and we heard the engine hum come to a stop in the background.
"Oh! An Earthquake!" He panicked, and automatically covered me, as we waited for the shaking to stop.
The lights began to flicker, and finally they turned off, and we were in almost complete darkness. Once the shaking stopped, I shakily turned on my phone flashlight, and tried to call anyone really, because I was petrified. It was unsuccessful because there was no signal in the elevator.
"T-there's no signal," I stuttered, as I immediately began freaking out, and had to sit down. I hugged my knees and began to cry. I knew elevators were a terrible idea.
"Sohee, we'll be okay!" Woobin encouraged, as the sat down next to me.
"All we have to do is wait," He said, as he leaned over to take a look at my face.
"We aren't even moving, okay? We're safe!" He reassured, which was very sweet of him. I nodded, and puffed out my cheeks. I jumped when he poked one of my cheeks.
"Awwww look at you," He teased, and glared.
"Y'know, the offer to hold my hand is still open," He wiggled his brows, and I playfully swung at him as a sign for him to stop flirting.
I stopped abruptly as soon as I felt the elevator moving. I automatically grabbed onto Woobin for support, and let out a scream. I was practically buried into his chest, and gripping on for dear life. 'This is it, I'm gonna die.' I thought, as I started crying again.
Soon, I realized that the engine came back on, and we were on our way down. I calmed down quickly, but realized that I was still in Woobin's arms, and he was trying to calm me down. I quickly moved away from him, and wiped the tears away from my face. I looked down, and hugged my knees, muttering a quick "sorry". It was the most embarrassing thing to ever happen in my whole high school experience.
Woobin stood up, and offered his hand to help me up, which I took. I pouted, and we stayed in silence until we hit the first floor. I shakily walked out the elevator and wordlessly walked outside.
The car ride was still silent, as I kept a pout on my face. Woobin looked over at me, and grinned, as he pinched my cheek.
"Don't worry about it," He began, as he saw my reaction the whole ride back to my house. I looked up at him, and when I noticed that he was looking at me, I quickly looked away.
"H-hey! Keep your eyes on the road!" I said murmured, as I looked down.
As soon I noticed that we were at my house, I silently got out. Woobin parked, and wanted to make sure that I got in safely. I smiled at the kind gesture, and walked up to my front door. Before I unlocked the door to go in, I turned around, and bowed.
"Thank you for such an," I stopped for a moment, trying to think of the right adjective. "Adventurous night." I finished, with a smile on my face.
"I'm just glad that we got out of that elevator," Woobin began, about to laugh.
"If you held on to me any tighter, I would've choked." He teased, and I scoffed, and he laughed at my reaction, before ruffling my hair.
"It's alright though, you child," He smiled. "It's between you and me." He gave an army salute as he put an imaginary zip on his lips. I gave a smile, and did the same as I went into my house.
#
The alarm abruptly woke me up in the morning, to the point where I bumped my head on the wooden frame of my bed. I forgot to turn off the alarm because it was the weekend. I quickly opened my phone to realize that it wasn't my alarm, but my ringtone for Gu Junpyo. I contemplated not answering, until I realized that it could be about JanDi. Reluctantly, I answered.
"Hello?" I asked, completely foreign to how I would even answer the phone for such an asshole such as Junpyo.
"The old hag is coming back." Junpyo sounded exasperated, and slightly panicked. 'The old hag' was actually his mother, Mrs. Kang. He was completely afraid of her, and always invited me over when she visited because she apparently "likes me better". His mother had a voice and eyes that could intimidate mostly everyone.
"Give me one reason as to why I would help the likes of you," I sighed. I already knew that I would have to come over, but I might as well make him beg for my help while I'm at it.
"JanDi is here…" He trailed off, and I raised both of my eyebrows. I kept questioning why JanDi was over there in my mind, and what I could've missed last night.
"I'll be right over, dipshit." I rolled out of my blankets in defeat. I could hear Junpyo's sigh of relief on the other line.
"Hurry." Was all that he said before abruptly hanging up.
I sleepily closed my phone, and rolled to the other side of my bed while yawning, but I rolled a bit too fast and ended up face first on the ground, while making an 'Oof!' noise.
#
When I arrived to his brick mansion, I was automatically led in by the butlers towards the study-area. The entire house was hectic, as everyone was getting as much as they could together before Mrs. Kang arrived. I walked into the study, where Junpyo was pacing erratically, and JanDi peeped out from the corner, completely dressed up, to see that it was only me.
I gave a small wave, before quietly sitting down with her, and watching Junpyo's erratic pacing. My eyes wandered over to Jihoo, who was doing the exact same thing. Yijung was examining a globe out of boredom, and seemed completely uninterested with the new drama. My eyes adverted over to Woobin, who was already looking at me, and adverted his gaze elsewhere when I looked over. I tried my hardest not to grin at his childishness.
"So a commoner classmate named Geum JanDi is in my son's bedroom hungover, how would I react?" Yijung questioned, as he spun the globe that sat on the table next to him. This caught all of our attention, as we took a look at the globe.
"I bet 5,000 dollars that she'll send Junpyo to Alaska." Woobin joked, as he pointed to Alaska on the globe. Yijung contemplated it before shaking his head, and pointing to South Korea on the globe.
"I bet 7,000 dollars that she'll send Junpyo to the military." He gave an amused smirk, and sat on the couch. Jihoo took a look at the globe, then contemplated as well.
"I bet 10,000 dollars that she'll hire a hitman" Jihoo commented, smiling at the thought. JanDi gasped in awe.
"I-Is she really that harsh?" She asked, stammering over her words.
"Do you guys remember what happened when we escaped the class trip we had 6 years ago?" Woobin asked everyone who was there. I automatically laughed at the memory, and JanDi looked confused.
"Okay, I'll explain JanDi," I laughed.
"We went to a resort for the weekend to do camp activities as a 5th grade class," I began, and JanDi blinked, anticipating the rest of the story.
"Junpyo had the bright idea to run away during the camping games and just have fun on our own, considering the fact that we didn't like anyone else in our grade other than each other." I explained.
"Then…?" JanDi asked, completely into the story.
"Once we escaped, and went into the cabin of the resort, it wasn't even 10 minutes in when suddenly a S.W.A.T team burst in, picking us up, and covering our mouths!" I explained, and JanDi gasped.
All of a sudden, the door cracked, and we all froze, looking at the door. It was Mrs. Kang, who looked as though she was observing the entire environment. We immediately stood, and formally greeted as we bowed. She didn't reply to the polite greeting, and crossed her arms.
"Who is she?" Mrs. Kang asked, and JanDi shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze.
"It's none of your business." Junpyo interrupted, as his mother glared.
"She's a friend of mine." He tossed off coldly, and Mrs. Kang scoffed.
"As long as I pay for this house, she is my business." She defended, raising both of her eyebrows.
Jihoo swiftly came out of his seat, and wrapped his shoulder over JanDi's. "She's our friend." He remarked, as JanDi embarrassingly looked down.
"Oh, A friend?" Mrs. Kang curiously asked, as Yijung nodded.
"She's a Sophomore at Shinhwa. We let her join the F4 as a mascot because she's really cute." YiJing quickly stated, while smiling in a polite manner.
"Which family's daughter are you?" Mrs. Kang asked, as JanDi became noticeably nervous. I suddenly pinched her cheek, and laughed.
"Ah, I'm sorry about how nervous she is! She's my cousin, Choi JanDi!" I laughed. I used my uncle's surname to make it more believable. Mrs. Kang raised her eyebrows, and seemed slightly convinced.
"Are you interested in today's auction?" She suggested, as JanDi nervously nodded.
"It would be an honor!" JanDi bowed politely.
A security guard walked in, and bowed. "The guests are arriving." He announced.
"Thank you," Mrs. Kang began, before turning back to us.
"I expect to see everyone downstairs?" She smiled, as she gracefully exited.
As soon as she left, everyone took a sigh of relief. "Please, thank me later." I said, as I fanned myself.
