A/N: Chapter 8 of Tiger of the Wild's. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OCs. Girls of the Wild belongs to the rightful owner Hun/Zhena.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Episode 8
Inside an empty classroom...
The meeting with Queen didn't go as well as Jae Gu wanted. When he arrived he attempted to back out of the match which led to Queen saying he couldn't. Taking a much more drastic manner he threatened to drop out of the school, causing both girls to look at him in shock. When he left and closing the door behind him with a snap, the blonde quickly looked to Moon Young for help with a terrible blush on her cheeks.
"What do you want me to do about it?" The captain of the boxing club asked before her mouth turned into a teasing smirk. "Oh, you cutie! How can you hide your feelings so well? Watch out or I'll spill the beans telling everyone 'Queen has a soft side~!'"
"I-I...didn't...mean to..." Queen flabbergasted at the teasing, unable to get ride of the blush on her cheeks. "I-I just..."
"I know, I know~ You just wanted to teach him a lesson, right~?"
"Nonsense! It's not like that!" Queen looked off to the side with a huff, trying to block out the teasing but not doing a good job at it. "I don't give a crap about him!"
Teehee~ She's so stinkin cute~! Moon Young chuckled as she followed the blonde out. Grabbing her bicycle she rode off with the still brooding blonde sitting on the back. She even tightened the white scarf around her neck. Jae Gu must have bothered her so much for her to express this kind of emotion. I've never seen her act this way before! What a score!
"So that's what happened while I was away huh..." Jae Gu was saying as I walked home with him after our job at the car wash. I gave Hwa Yeon a call on my cellphone, telling her I'd be back a little late. She didn't mind and assured me that she'd leave the door unlocked so I can get in no problem, she also left me some food so I could help myself. "Didn't know you had a rough time with Dal Dal with getting into the club and all."
"It's fine, really. I was surprised because I don't actually remember what I did." I laughed, scratching the back of my head sheepishly. As we climbed the stairs we ran into the three ladies leaning outside his door. It was if they were excepting us but we weren't expecting them at all so we kinda stopped walking all together. "Did you...summon them out of the blue?"
"Not really...but why..." He groaned, cursing his luck.
"Hey boys, we just...you know...somehow ended up here without knowing...hahaha~" Moon Young laughed, scratching her head with a grin on her face. She couldn't really lie on the spot so it sounded forced.
"I tried to make them go away~" Dal Dal said apologetically, giving the other two girls the stink eye. "Forgive me Jae Gu~"
"Ehem! Well, since we're your seniors anyway...don't you think it would be appropriate to offer some tea or something?" Moon Young suggested, leaning her bicycle against the wall.
"What other choice do I have?" He muttered before leading us into his home. His siblings Jae Hyung Song and Jae Som Song looked at us in wonder as we filed in, shocked by just how many guests their brother brought back with him. When their eyes laid on Queen, their eyes lit up and they became really excited to see her.
"Eeeeeeh! It's Queen! Wow!"
"Queen's actually here?"
"Jae Gu's bother and sister are more cuter in person than I thought~" Moon Young said as the younger siblings fawned over them. We all went around and introduced ourselves to them so that they wouldn't label us as, 'Big Brother's friends'. Even though I'm not as popular as Queen damn it! I should have known!
"Have some water. Sorry, we don't have things like coffee or tea. Not to mention cups." Jae Gu apologized as he set the objects down. He was in the kitchen fixing us some refreshments since he was the host. "If that's a problem, you can leave. The door's free for you to use."
"Hey, what are you doing?" Moon Young asked when Queen didn't sit down immediately. She was still standing as if unsure what to do with herself. "Sit!"
"...sit...on the floor?" She asked meekly, glancing at the floor with a mild look of disgust which didn't go unnoticed. "I need a chair or something..."
"Don't play princess~ Just go home if you want, no one asked you to stay!" Dal Dal commented, releasing a huff of air. She reached for one of the cups of water and took a sip. "Wow~ This is sure refreshing!"
"What's wrong? Too humble for someone who throws away million dollar checks? This is how some people live..." Jae Gu said when he noticed Queen looking around the small space, from the chip painted walls to the small cots laid on the floor that acted as beds. "I've been feeling bad enough about not taking care of the kids...so dropping out could be a good thing...I can pick up another job to pay for better groceries."
"...Fine I'll sit. No need to be dramatic." She sat down without complaint, hands neatly folded over her lap and noticed a cockroach scuttling across the floor. The color began to drain from her face when it turned and proceeded to walk towards her. "EEK! A ...A...A COCKROACH!"
"WHAT?!" Dal Dal and Moon Young watched as the insect got closer to them and paled as well. They scrambled to the far wall, trying to shoo it away. "Eeeeew! Get it away! Get it away!"
"I got it. C'mere little dude." Stooping down I caught the insect in my hand, putting one over the other to keep it contained. "Let me just...toss it...outside..." All of our eyes were looking at both Jae Gu and Queen, the latter had jumped into his arms in fright without a second thought so the rest of us just watched with a variety of expressions.
"What? What are you doing?" Queen suddenly snapped, being flustered as she felt his hands holding her. "Let me down this instant!"
You're the one who jumped on me...Why are you yelling at me? Jae Gu thought before obligated to her order, dropping her immediately. Placing a hand down she pivoted before landing in a crouch, saving herself from out right falling to the ground. Whoa...didn't see that coming...
"Wow~!"
"Cool!"
"Whatever, I could have done better..." The others clapped with giddiness at the small display of talent. I quickly excused myself and tossed the cockroach out back, watching the creature scuttle into the bushes and out of sight.
My fighter instinct just kicked in...nothing too fancy... Queen thought before smiling a bit, pleased to have amused us for that short minute. Urged by Moon Young who was suddenly bursting with energy we all decided to play a game for the rest of the evening.
Outside...
While we played a fun game Jae Gu hurried to wash his siblings' clothes before the light disappeared from the sky. As he was finishing up Queen stepped outside so that the two of them could talk without any interruptions.
"Don't expect me to apologize!" She spoke first since he didn't seem to want to start the conversation. "I...I don't think I'm in the wrong on this one." When he didn't respond she continued, "And you! You seriously got something wrong. The Wild's League isn't your average school sports day! In the final rounds, most of the contestants are pros even if they're just high school students. There were co-ed battles only a few times before, but since the league is open to everyone, don't blame it for that."
….why is she telling me this? Jae Gu stayed quiet , cataloging her words within his mind. Siiiigh...I don't even want to think about it...
"The Wild's League is recognized around the world. Get the idea? No matter how hard you train, there is no reason to be ashamed about losing to the champion. That is the Wild's League and that's what it means to be 'Queen!' If you manage to stay on your feet for just a minute...you can title it as the proudest moment of your life!"
"...I'm not interested in that...Honestly, I am nervous about the match. But that's not what's bugging me." Jae Gu responded once she finished talking, wringing out a shirt to dry before washing it a bit more. "I just wanted to stay at school under the radar. But I don't have any other choice here..." He stopped and glowered at the fence in front of him, the shirt re-wrung of the water. "With the scholarship, I wanted to figure out a way until graduation...the way you treat me...it doesn't seem like it's going to end soon...that's what I'm afraid of...I don't expect you to protect me nor to care about me...I just want you to leave me alone...is that too much to ask?"
Tch...Queen kept her lips shut but her eyes never left him as he turned to walk back inside, all the clothes hanging up so they would be dry the next day. What's his deal...?
"...and so that's how I came here." I was saying as the two of them came inside, telling Jae Gu's siblings about my decision to study abroad in Korea. They did ask about my hair and why it was different colors as well as my family life and where my actual home was. "Sure the distance is quite a bit, 8,343km to be exact, but I'm excited to be here and learning."
"Where's your friend now?" Jae Hyung asked, looking at me with huge brown eyes. "How come he isn't here with you?"
"He's back in the states since he isn't allowed to travel this time. His hometown is further than mine after he moved to another institution to study. However I'm sure he'll make time to visit and when he does I'll make sure to bring him over so you can see him."
"How far?" Jae Som asked, waving his hands into the air. "How far away is your friend?"
"Hmmm...9,901km!" I replied after thinking about it, my memory tends to be a bit slow at time. "Yup, he's further than when I left for here."
After all the fun, games as well as some trivia, Jae Gu led us out after tucking his siblings into bed. Both Dal Dal and Moon Young had all sorts of doodles scribbled on their faces but they had lots of fun. I believed the word 'Fool' was written horizontally on the right side of Moon Young's face.
"Let me make this clear!" Dal Dal shouted as Moon Young prepared to escort Queen home, pointing a finger at the two of them. "Don't come near Jae Gu again! I won't let you! We'll definitely settle things!"
"See ya, Jae Gu! Tobi!" Moon Young said to us, ignoring Dal Dal completely. "No need to walk us out."
"I wasn't planning too..." Jae Gu spoke, arms crossed over his chest. "You guys can walk yourselves home..."
"...Jae Gu Song." Queen spoke, her back turned towards us. "About what you said...I will...do so..."
"What did he tell you to do?" Moon Young pestered her as they began to walk, seeing a small blush crawling up her neck. "What? What? What? Tell me!"
"You're irritating...knock it off."
Maybe...maybe she isn't that bad. Jae Gu thought wordlessly as he watched them leave. Then he shook his head as if to get rid of them immediately. No! I still shouldn't trust women! Not after what Mom did to us...!
"Well then, I'm gonna head off." I saluted him and turned to walk off, my briefcase slung over my shoulder. "See you tomorrow morning?"
"You know it." He smiled and waved goodbye. "Good night Tobi."
"I'm going too~" Dal Dal spoke up with a grin on her face. "Don't forget to say good bye as well!" Jae Gu released a sigh, turned around and disappeared into his house. The girl pouted, puffing her cheeks up with displeasure. "Tch...meanie."
"C'mon, don't be that way." I laughed, watching her plod beside me with her hands folded behind her head. "It is a bit late so he's probably tired."
"Yeeeeah...probably." She thought about it before bounding forward, turning around to flash me a grin. "Whatever the case may be, I just know I'll win his heart some day~!"
"I'm sure you will Dal Dal."