| Fan Fiction |
by Take_Flight
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was already late evening on a slow Monday working day and Changmin was definitely looking forward to knock off quickly and see Nadine. Not that they were planning on something special, but nowadays, he's always looking forward to spending time with her. Ever since their little duel at the arcade, he had grown to like Nadine more. There was an air of mystery around that girl...that was the first impression he got when he first met her at the cafe. He still remembered the way she was searching for that ketchup bottle and was ever so delighted when she found it. Like a child finding a bag of candy. Even though back then, Changmin hardly known her that well, his heart was already going crazy trying to get closer to her. And as if Fate was smiling down on them, he got to work with her. And now he's in a relationship with her! Even he have to admit that this whirlwind ride was something he never had on his wish list.
Changmin was consulting the floor plan he had and drawing little circles to mark out the stall booths for a small carnival he's in charge of when there was a knock on the door. "Come in" he said, without looking up. He reached out a small Post-It, scribbled a note on it and pasted it on the floor plan. He then glanced up and did a double take when he saw Soo Min standing infront of him. The girl had completely shed off her glamorous persona that she usually put on and instead was wearing a light pink short-sleeved babydoll dress and a pair of a dark jeans. Her hair was pulled back into loose ponytail and she wore minimal make-up. Soo-Min blushed slightly when Changmin was staring at her for a while.
"Uhh..Soo Min..Hi..What brings you here?" Changmin asked, not wanting to sound stupid at the same time.
"You did a great job at my cousin's fashion show, and I was wondering...if you would like to do the same for my upcoming show as well" Soo Min said, giving him a warm smile.
Changmin chuckled softly. "I would be glad to help but the decision is not mine to decide. Usually our VP will assign which Art Directors that is best to help the client out. Perhaps, you can talk to him first? I can show you his office" he offered.
"But..I think you're the perfect person for the job. Don't you think so? It was a great success and everyone can't seem to stop talking about it" Soo Min pointed out with a hopeful look.
Changmin scratched the back of his neck and gave Soo Min an apologetic look. "Mianhe. But it's standard procedure. Clients have to go through VP first" he explained.
Changmin noticed that Soo Min's lips were set in a straight line as she thought about what he had said. In the end, she sighed and got up. "I'll see your VP first" she said at last.
Changmin followed her out the room and took her to where Yunho's office is. He can't help wondering why Soo Min was being persistent in wanting him to be the one managing her fashion show. Sure he had some experienced helping SY with her event but that doesn't mean he had to take the job. Yunho once pointed out that every Art Directors and his/her team should have a chance to get to handle different types of events be it big or small scale. That's why he had to keep pointing it out to Soo Min. It was not about him trying to brush her off.
They both reached Yunho's office and Changmin knocked on the door. "Enter!" Yunho said from inside. Changmin opened the door and motioned for Soo Min to step inside. Yunho glanced up from the file he was reading and gave Changmin a puzzled look. "Is something wrong?" Yunho asked, standing up. "Soo Min wants to talk to you" Changmin told him. Yunho nodded and told Soo Min to take a seat. Changmin then closed the door and walked back to his office. He glanced at his watch and noticed that there was half an hour more to go before the day ends and he could see Nadine. She was becoming rather tired these days since she's helping out her students for the upcoming Arts competition and now she was planning to have night classes twice a week so that the students can finish their artpieces and portfolio on time.
"Reason being I don't want them to come back to school during summer" Nadine had told Changmin.
"so you have plans this summer?" Changmin had asked her but Nadine shrugged. "Not really" she told him.
Changmin smiled to himself as he went back to his table and did whatever work has left. He too did not have anything on this summer except that Ex-Pac was coming up with a relaxing one week getaway at some chalet and he was wondering of asking Nadien along for the trip. Junsu had initiated the idea of asking Ri In along and had told Changmin that maybe he can bring Nadine for the trip. The whole chalet trip was not confirmed yet but just the thought of getting away from work sounds really tempting. Just imagine, the sun, sand and the sea..and having Nadine to himself.
Changmin reached out for his phone and dialled Nadine's number. After the third ring, she picked it up but at the same time, she was instructing someone to 'remove the excess clay and do something about the crooked handle'
"Crooked handle?" Changmin asked her, leaning back on his chair.
"Eh? No-no...I was talking to the student" Nadine said. "Taemin! No don't touch that. You will ruin.. Changmin, can you hold on for while?"
Before Changmin could answer, Nadine had already left the phone and he heard Nadine saying something to her student and then there was a loud clanging sound and a few people laughed. "I'm going to die am I?" Changmin heard someone asking and then Nadine laughing at the remark. "No you're not. Just clean up the mess and we'll see what we can do" Nadine said.
"Hello? You're still there?" Nadine asked, picking up the phone. "Yeap..still here. What happened back there?" Changmin wanted to know.
"Ah well...Taemin's got his pot all messed up and we're trying to correct it" Nadine said with a sigh and Changmin noted the weariness in her voice.
"Are you OK Nadine? You don't sound good" Changmin said with concern.
"I'm fine. I was running here and there the whole day. I barely had time to sit down, let alone have a toilet break" Nadine told him. "And my stomach's been grumbling the whole time" she added.
"You've been skipping meals?" Changmin asked. "Yah..how many times must I remind you? Do you want to faint again?" he asked her, recalling the one time she had blacked out at the NAC.
Nadine laughed. "Of course not! I just...there's too many things to do here" she explained. "Look, I promise. When we're at the coffeehouse later, I'll pick up something nice to eat" she assured him.
"Hmmm...maybe we should skip the coffeehouse and go for real food instead" Changmin suggested. "I know somewhere that has nice vermicelli noodles"
"But I thought you had to report at an early time tomorrow? That's why we're going to Marsha's?" Nadine pointed out, sounding doubtful ."It's fine Changmin....maybe Ga-In can whip up something nice and then you--
"Aniya. I insist that we have a nice dinner tonight. And that's final. No more questions!" Changmin firmly told her and Nadine chuckled. "Araso araso...pick me up later when you finish work" she said and Changmin grinned.
After they hung up, Yunho strolled into his office and Changmin immediately sat up in his seat when he noticed Yunho's unreadable expression. "Is..something wrong?" Changmin asked. "Where's Soo Min?" he asked again, when he noticed that the girl wasn't with the VP.
"She left. Had to attend something" Yunho replied, taking a seat in front of Changmin. Changmin nodded, leaned forward and waited for Yunho to speak.
"She...speak highly of you" Yunho said and Changmin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I'm in?" he asked and Yunho nodded. "She insisted that you're the perfect person and admired your work when you're doing SY's event" he said and took out two name cards from his pocket. He handed it to Changmin. "She wanted to explain to me in detail about what the fashion show will be about but I told her that she can tell it you instead. Here's her card, and the venue she would like to have it at"
Changmin took the cards and saw that the venue she wanted was called 'Red Maroon'. Hmmm..he heard of that place before, but never went there to check it out. He heard it was some sort of a lounge pub or something like that. "Thanks..guess I'll give her a call tomorrow" he said.
"You heading off somewhere?" Yunho asked him. Changmin gulped. "Uhh..yeah. You need me to stay in for a while?" he asked. He knew what Yunho's next inquiries will be. And that will be about him dating Nadine. The client. And then about Changmin breaking the company's policy. Changmin glanced at Yunho was quietly sitting and staring at him while Changmin looked as if he's got red ants in his pants.
Changmin took a deep breath. "Listen..Hyung. I really didn't mean to mess things up. I really..do like her and--
"And so did my father. And my mother. They actually thought you two were a cute couple" Yunho interrupted and Changmin stopped talking. "My father's been..dropping hints on you lately right..like for example getting closer to Nadine etc etc etc...he's doing that to spite me you know?"
Changmin felt his jaw dropped open. "Spite you? For what? To date Nadine?" he blurted out with a sinking feeling but Yunho was laughing at his panicked state.
"No! Why would I do that. My father's actually helping you to get close to Nadine as a way of telling me to get MYSELF a girlfriend. Get it? It's a way of making me feel outcast when you and Junsu are already attached. You are aware that he used his magic love dust on Junsu as well right?" Yunho explained.
Changmin stared at Yunho for a while. "R..Really...WHAT? So he's cool with me dating the client...and you..you're ok with this?"
Yunho shrugged. "If I tell you to break up with her then my father will label me as cruel and heartless person. Of course I won't tell you to stop seeing her. It did come to me as a surprise seeing you and Nadine getting cosy with each other on that night"
Changmin puffed out his cheeks. "Well..I..don't know what to say actually. I was actually bracing myself to get an earful from you..but seeing it's a different story now..." he stopped talking, unsure of what to say next. He heard Yunho chuckled as he stood up. "Don't worry. I won't eat you up. You're a responsible person Changmin, I'm sure you won't do anything stupid. So, I guess you have another fashion show to run?" Yunho asked.
Changmin nodded and gave Yunho a grateful smile. "Hey...about this whole..thing...you ever thought of going out with Soo Min?" he suddenly asked and Yunho's eyes widened. "WHAT? No..you know she's not my type...I'm still looking out for Her" he told Changmin. Changmin sighed. "You've been saying that ever since high school! Who is this Her anyway?!"
"I'll tell you when I find her. See you tomorrow!" Yunho said, making a hasty escape before Changmin could interrogate him somemore.
Changmin shook his head and cleared away the clutter on his desk and then gasped when he saw the time. He was already five minutes late to meet Nadine. He checked his phone and saw that there was a meesage from Nadine.
"I'll wait for you at the main gate. Just left class - Nadine"
Changmin hurriedly collected his stuff and switched his computer. He left the office in a rush, almost banging onto someone. He sped down the road and the tires screeched outside the main gate of the school and he saw Nadine standing outside. When she saw the Subaru, she walked over and got in. "Tough day today?" she asked, putting on her seatbelt and kissing his cheek.
"Sorry to keep you waiting" Changmin apologized as he drove the car into the busy streets. "Nah, it's fine. I just got out anyways. So where are we going?" Nadine asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears.
"Somewhere...food haven. You're going to love it" Changmin told her, giving her a huge grin. "Aaah..really?" Nadine asked.
Changmin nodded. "Yeap, something to fill up that empty barrel of yours"
Nadine laughed. "You mean, YOUR empty barrel?" she teased, leaning forward and fiddling with the radio. A catchy RnB number was playing and both of them bobbed their heads to the music as the car drove along the street and soon they both got no longer agitated with the rush hour. Changmin laughed at the way Nadine was mimicking the female singer whistle notes and was glad that she was enjoying herself despite the fact she looked weary.
"Oh God! I can't believe I did that!" Nadine said, wiping the tears away when the car stopped to a small restaurant beside a road. "Don't tell anyone okay?"
Changmin chuckled. "I won't...well, here we are..you ready to feast?" he asked. Nadine took in the size of the restaurant and the number of people sitting outside and then the number of people lining outside, waiting for their seats. But Changmin could already tell that she was into this place when the aroma of the delicacies wafted from the kitchen to her nose and her eyes lit up in delight.
"But how are we supposed to get a seat here? It's jammed pack!" Nadine pointed out as Changmin led her to the eating place. "Wait...don't tell me. You know the owner of the place and he can get you a seat?"
"You know me well. Actually, me and the boys are regulars here so there'll always be seats available for regular customers here" Changmin explained as they entered the shop. Almost immediately, the both of them were ushered to the middle of the restaurant when one of the staff recognized them. "Usual for you Changmin-shii?" the waiter asked, only giving the menu to Nadine.
"Get the lady the Japchae while I have the spicy fish soup. Two bowls of rice and today's special" Changmin told the waiter. "Drinks?"
"I have lime juice" Nadine said after scanning the menu and Changmin shook his head. Nadine raised her eyebrows. "Why?" she asked. Changmin took the menu from her and checked out the drink list. "Scratch the lime juice. Let her have the Snowbud tea and I have my usual Peach frizz" he told the waiter. The waiter nodded, took the menu and walked away.
"What's Snowbud tea?" Nadine asked him. "It's not those weird drinks with things floating inside it right?"
Changmin laughed. "No..of course not. The tea has a nice calming effect. Trust me, you'll grow to like it" he assured her. "So...how's the students so far? Making progress?"
Nadine nodded. "They remind me so much of myself during my school days....except they are more hyper active" she told him. Changmin grinned. "You have a hard time keeping up with them huh?" he asked, reaching out for her hand across the table and giving her a gentle squeeze. Nadine smiled. "Sort of...maybe that's why I'm easily exhausted these days" she said with a tired smile.
"You haven't been sleeping well?" Changmin asked and Nadine shrugged. "Sometimes it's hard for me to fall asleep" she admitted. "You've been thinking too much lately?" Changmin asked, caressing her hand.
Nadine was about to answer when their drinks arrived and they both parted to make way for it. Nadine took a whiff of the Snowbud and grinned. "Mmm..it does have a nice calming effect..it's the perfect Spring tea..don't you think?" she asked, admiring the clear white tea in the dark ceramic cup. After a while Nadine cleared her throat and told Changmin that she had something to say to him.
"What is it?" Changmin questioned her, and he noticed how nervous she look. "It's ermm..you still remember Jaejoong right?" Nadine suddenly asked, twisiting the edge of her napkin.
Changmin felt his whole body tensed when he heard that name. Of course he remembered Jaejoong. That bugger who had tried to hurt Nadine. "What about him?" Changmin asked casually, although he was gritting his teeth at the same time.
Nadine took a deep breath. "You know what...maybe we should talk about this after dinner. It might not be appropriate" she told him but Changmin insisted that she should just talk about it.
"I'll be meeting him for dinner this coming Wednesday. I just want to let you know about it. It's...I made a promise to him and I kind of forgotten about it until he called up the other day and then we started catching up..and he brought up that topic" Nadine explained to him, while biting her lip and looking at him with regretful eyes.
Changmin had a hard time swallowing after hearing what she had said. So Jaejoong called her up, and they started talking like old buddies? There was no denying the fact that Changmin dislike Jaejoong.He prefer choosing Dislike because Hate was too strong a word. Changmin took a moment before telling Nadine what he had in mind. After all, he doesn't want to appear like a sore loser if he tell Nadine to forget about the dinner. It will be as if Changmin was controlling Nadine by not letting her to do this and that. Nope. He won't be that kind of guy. There should be trust in a relationship right? But he still be on the lookout just in case Jaejoong plan to do something nasty again.
"Sure..this Wednesday you say?" Changmin said, sipping his drink. Nadine nodded, looking unsure. "You're okay with it?" she asked in a doubtful voice. Changmin nodded. "You made a promise to him..and promises are not meant to be broken. So...you should go ahead with the plan...but can I drive you there?" he asked, pressing his lips together.
Nadine glanced up at him and her expression softened. "Araso. He hasn't decide on the place yet though. But...you're sure you're okay with this?" she asked again worriedly.
Changmin reached out across the table and took both her hand in his. "I'm positively sure...although I'm not...that pleased about the whole thing" he admitted, with a defeated look.
Nadine gave him a soft smile and kissed his hand. "I know...and I'm sorry to drop it like this"
"Does he know...about us?" Changmin asked her, as he intertwined their fingers together. Nadine shrugged. "I don't know...I assume he does" she told him.
"Hmmm..araso. But I'm definitely driving you there ok?" Changmin said, letting go of her hand just as their food came. Nadine nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "I know" she said as her dinner was set out infront of her.
"Dig in...and if you're still hungry, we can still order somemore" Changmin said, scooping his rice.
Throughout the dinner, the whole 'dinner-with-Jaejoong- was soon forgotten as they told each other about their day's event and then about their family background, something they haven't talk about. Changmin knew that Nadine has an elder brother called Gio who owned an automotive workshop using his hard earned money, but he did not know that she lived in a villa back in Mexico together with her relatives and her grandparents. It was full house almost everyday and Changmin liked how close knit the whole family was living under one roof. When he was driving her home, he can't help feeling uneasy about Nadine meeting Jaejoong. That guy is just plain...annoying! When Nadine's phone rang, he thought it was Jaejoong but it was only Ri In asking where she was. After Changmin and Nadine shared a goodnight kiss, he was actually reluctant to let her go but he had to. As he watched Nadine got into the lift, he prayed hard that Nadine won't get hurt again. Or else, HE will turn nasty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
kiisachan : Hey you! Awww..you were actually in tears? *gives you tissue* Well, I am glad that Yoochun loves SunMi now and Junsu is more determined to take care of Ri In. I'm glad you like the quote too! And yes, Yunho's story will probably be up after TPL is done. Don't worry..I'll keep you posted! And I will tell Yoochun that you forgive him..no worries!
Happy reading =D