| Fan Fiction |
by eprinces
***
The rain has stopped raining for the couple of days now, leaving the earth dry and sunny. The beautiful blue sky above the atmosphere makes the day pleasant and enjoyable. Most the population of the Seoul is out enjoying this day that is rare during rainy season. But there are some people like Cat who is stuck in her small comfy dorm she shares with Yunji since their freshman year.
She is currently seated on the floor, leaning on the glass rectangle table for support. On the surface, all kinds of school materials are spread out in front of her, staring right back at her. She stares at the one of the open books reading intensely.
There are a few weeks before the final actually begins, yet she is already in the process of preparation. That is just like Catherine Smith, planning and thinking head of time. She likes to prepare in advance for anything and everything that is to come in the near future. That way, there won't be any stress, confession, or surprises when the time comes.
End of school year final is something Cat hates so much. Beside studying, final takes so much energy, hard work, and time. There are projects and essays that need to be handed in on the last day of classes, just few days before the final begins. There won't be a time to study afterward. Nevertheless, she still cares deeply and makes sure she passes each one of the classes she is taking. If she fails, success is unreachable and all the money and time she is putting in will be waste, but she will not have that. She doesn't her best and hardest. And she is comfortable with the result, even if it is not an A+. There is no need to be on the top of everything all the time.
Cat is more like her mother. She got her personality from her native Korean mother. Even her close friends and relatives agree with her. Just like her unique personality, her mix-race Korean beauty stands out: short red hair, blue eyes, and white smooth skin that she inherited from her European father's side, who is currently living in London. Her average height and facial structure are the only feature she inherited from her Korean mother's side.
At school, Cat is not a popular, but she is well known as now ex-girlfriend of Gwang, the school's popular guy. Her natural beauty is not what got her a popular ex-boyfriend, Lee Ki Gwang, as some people seem to think. It all started in her freshman year when she got her interest in this one tall guy.
She didn't have any class with him due to their different schedule and major. The only times she got to see him was when he was at school walking by or studying at the library. He never took notice of her and that frustrated her at some point. Yet, she never gave up.
Then one of the school's handsome players, Gwang, asked her out. She ignored him at first, but he couldn't take no for an answer. After thinking about it for some time and concluded that it was a perfect opportunity, she agreed to go out with him. Gwang had no clue that she was using him.
By making a name for herself as a popular guy's girlfriend, she thought, she could get that tall guy's attention because she knew people talk. Little did she know he, the tall guy she was seeking attention from, hated rumors. But how was she to know?
Cat and Gwang's relationship didn't last for a long time. After a year into their relationship, she got tired of the rumors he was spreading about their relationship just to gain more popularity from crazy fan girls. She wasn't sad about the breakup for obvious reason, but she was disappointed about her unsuccessful mission.
That is until a week after her breakup, Cat was at the small park beside the school when she caught him watching her through his classroom's window...
***'
Catherine's POV:
My hands on the edge of the cart pushing it forward, my minds drifts to another world, lost in deep thoughts.
I am one of those people who likes to shop (I'm talking about grocery shopping) like an interesting hobby. I may sound like one of those house wives, but I'm not. I'm just a twenty-one year old, junior in Seoul University, and newly single living on campus dorm. I know many people around my age hate grocery shopping. I can name my own friends, roommate, and ex-boyfriends as an example. They prefer eating out just to fulfill their starving stomachs and escape having to do grocery shopping and cooking. Well, I don't expect other people to like what I like or to be like me. People are different and that is what makes us who we are. Anyway, I rather cook and keep myself satisfy and healthy.
And today happens to be one of those days I needed to do grocery shopping. The Food Market I'm currently at is a big and well known in the city. As expected, it is crowded in the middle of the afternoon--
I snap out of my thought and look up intently when my cart hits another. I need to stop this and focus on what I'm doing at the moment, I advice myself mentally.
As I look up to meet the other cart owner as I apologize, I'm unable to utter a word, the words stuck in my throat due to the state of shock. I feel like a child who is caught doing something bad.
~~***~~
Changmin's POV:
One thing that can never disappoint me is... food. When I'm angry, food can make me forget the cause of my anger. I calm down the moment the food touches my lips. When I'm sad or lonely, I prefer to do nothing but eat my favorite food and I'll be okay. When I'm bore, food can make me feel energize. So, what more can I ask for when one thing can do so much for me what no other person is able to do?
Don't get the idea of me being a five-hundred pounds bastard who does nothing beside sitting in front of a TV and eat all day long. Surprisingly, no matter how much I eat, I never gain past 150 pounds. I don't know why friends and family, especially my mom, call me skinny when I'm in fact in between or average weight as my doctor calls it. It may be because I'm as tall as a tree, which I'm proud of, and wear not many clothes even if it is cold outside. But none of that matters as long as I'm perfectly healthy inside and out, right?
Despite me being the “food monster” as my roomy call me, I still don't like the idea of food shopping unless I really, really have to. Lucky me, God never let me down in that area. Living with five sisters (all younger than me) all my life until I graduated high school and living with a really good roommate on school campus, I never have to worry about that. I can easily convince others to do the shopping and cooking while I do choosing the kind of food (I'm not a picker when it comes to food. I can eat almost anything.) and eating happily when it is serve to me.
Today wasn't my lucky day. When Yunho found out that our fridge is empty, including the cereal boxes, he said we should do grocery shopping today. At first, I thought he was going to go out to do the grocery shopping as usual. Little did I know that the guy had a different plan. Somehow, he tricked me into doing the grocery shopping today before I had the chance to protest like I always do. He said that his physics professor called him asking him to come ASAP. So, he left leaving a list for grocery shopping on the coffee table. I only realized that was a lie after the guy left in rush.
That is how I ended up here, at the supper market, all alone. He is lucky I happen to have no plan for today.
I push the cart forward until I arrive at the freezer aisle. I stop and look at the different items in the freezer section. Everything looks good and tasty that I have the urge to get every item my eye catches. I know Yunho is going to kill me for this, but I can't resist. Besides, he deserves it...
I take my time on deciding which flavor of ice cream I should get, chocolate, strawberry-- before I can decide on something, I'm interrupted by a sudden sound of carts crushing sound. I quickly shift away from the freezer glass to find out what just happened.
SHOOT! That is the first word that pops in my head. Why? From entire population of Seoul, why do I have to meet this one person? I don't know how to react to this sudden encounter with the last person I expected to meet.
I can't help but wonder if I'm being followed. Hopefully not. That is creepy.
Catherine Smith. Now that I look at her this close, she really looks like an angle. And that blue eyes, red shining hair, and a smile are just breath taking. Last time I saw her, she wasn't smiling. She look sad sitting on the bench like an angle. Her eyes closed, her head facing the sunny sky above as the rush of wind blow in her way, making her short red hair fly in different direction. Back then I couldn't take my eyes of her until I was awaken by a seat-mate. And when that seat-mate told me about who she was, all the good feelings I gathered a moment ago disappeared into thin air.
I know it is wrong of me to judge her before I even know her personally. From what I heard though, I assumed she was one of those attention hos at school. If she was, I thought to myself, I rather not look at her face twice. I hated these kind of people, which was why I never hanged out around school much because I didn't want to cross their path.
I forgot all about that incident until I met her again at my friend's house party and all the previous thoughts came running back to me. I knew the fun was over so I escaped the party and went home.
Since then, I had the trouble of keeping her out of my head somehow. Although my actions toward her are strange and odd considering I never talked to her once, I have been trying to avoid her.
I know this can't be what I think it is. This girl is nowhere near the type of girls I'm interested in. I like a girl who has a likable personality, shy and innocent. She knows what she wants and at the same time she knows her limits.
This one is too frank and independent woman. It is easy to tell by the way she expresses and presents herself.
That isn't still the problem. So what is it?
~~***~~
Catherine's POV:
As much as I been wanting to meet him personally, I was never successful because he obviously had been avoiding me in every possible way. The last time I met him was at the house party I went to with Han and Yunji. When I saw him leaving the party, I quickly went after him. Disappointingly, with his long legs, he had long gone before I could catch up with him. I was hurt by his unreasonable actions. Did he think I would bit him like some kind of a beast or something?
The reason I'm shock by this sudden encounter is because I never thought I would meet him again, at least not this soon. I guess God wants me to meet him sooner than I thought.
If it is not for the cart I'm still holding with my palms, I don't think I could still stand on my two feet. I stand in front of this tall guy, the guy I have been wanting to meet for so long, my stomach crumbles. It feels like it is tearing me up in two. All the things I wanted to say and the questions I wanted to ask disappeared from my head. My mouth is sealed with some kind of a glue that I'm unable to utter a word.
Why of this sudden fear and weakness? Could it be because of his close presence?
I don't know how long I have been staring at him and his stares isn't helping at all. I finally find the ability to speak.
“Why do you hate me?” I ask the first question that comes to my mind. He rise his eyebrow at me, indicating his surprise at my frank question. Ignoring his reaction, I can't help but focus on his eyes, nose, forehead, lips--
“Hate?” he questions my word of choice. “That is very strong word. I would say....dislike.”
Like that would make me feel any better, I think to myself. “Fine, why do you dislike me?” I ask, not knowing if I'm ready for what I'm about to hear.
“Hmm... Wait, don't I have the right to dislike people?”
This time I rise my eyebrow at him in return. For a guy who looks so smart and serious almost all the time, doesn't feel right that he would make up a lame excuse.
“You do, but you also must have a reason, Shim Changmin, a good reason to avoid me as if I would bit you like an animal.”
“How the hell do you know my name?” asks glaring at me. “Never mind. None of this matters to neither of us any way.”
“I don't know about you, but it does matter to me.”
“And why is that?”
“ It doesn't feel right to be disliked by someone for no a particular reason.”
“Like I said before, I have the right to dislike anyone.”
What an attitude, I think to myself. I need something, anything. Think, think fast, I say in my head.
“Okay-- “ I pause. What is the worse thing that could happen? “--lets make a bet.”
TBC