| Fan Fiction |
by etoile
“This is it.” Jaejoong double checked the address written on the back of the photograph and stared at the long row of houses that stretched out before us. “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Ever the optimist, I smiled and tried to find my bearings. “The address you have says house number 84B. This is number 39, so we’ll have to walk to the end to get to 84…” I wandered on ahead, looking at the road signs. In my haste, I didn’t notice that I had left Jaejoong behind. Turning around and looking over my shoulder, I called back to him.
“Jaejoong-kun! Aren’t you coming?”
He merely stood there with his hands in his pockets some paces back, smiling that enigmatic smile of his. For a moment, it was almost as if he was in his own dream world – a place where Kim Jaejoong was king. His gaze fluttered upwards as I called his name, and his grin broadened, and suddenly, everything about him became brighter. Everything, from his borrowed clothes, to his slightly ruffled hair, to his alabaster complexion – everything about him became even more beautiful. For that same reason, I found that I couldn’t help but smile secretly to myself too as he strode towards me.
“You know, you look so much more beautiful when you smile.” His words caught me by surprise, and my expression, in my embarrassment must have switched from smiling ingénue to slightly horrified. How much of a coincidence was it that we had been thinking virtually the same thing about each other? I found myself fiddling again with my purple star keychain, and sneaked a peek at Jaejoong. He was walking abreast with me, one hand in his pocket and the other cupped firmly around his chin. Our eyes met for a split-second, and almost immediately, we looked away in opposite directions. His pace quickened as he overtook me and started to walk on ahead.
OK, so there was an awkward situation here which was getting worse with each passing minute. I wasn’t a very religious person, but right then and there I was silently petitioning God to please open a hole in the ground and swallow me up.
I must have been looking at the floor while I was unloading my burdens, and you know what, the religious principality I was begging clearly hadn’t answered my prayers, because a shadow fell before me. Looking up, I saw Jaejoong, standing smack bang in front of me. Without a word, he stretched out his right hand in my direction, as if asking me to take it.
In my haste, I almost declined, but given the situation, I figured that even the toughest guy needs support sometimes, so I took his hand. His long, slender fingers wrapped round my hand as he squeezed it tightly. It felt good to know that I was capable of giving spiritual support to someone, nevermind the fact that my heart was racing at the speed of a bullet train.
“W-what did you mean when you said that I was beautiful?” The words were out before I could stop them, and I kicked myself inwardly for saying that. Say hello to Tomoko, the idiot who single-handedly ruined the moment. “Ah… just thinking aloud.” Great. I had just gone and dug a bigger hole for myself. My face was probably shining like a beacon right now with all the blushing I was undoubtedly doing.
Surprisingly, he didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, in his even, calm voice, he expounded on my evidently misguided question.
“Well… I meant that you looked… very nice when you smiled. And that you should smile more, because it makes you look, well, beautiful.” He was talking like he was answering an exam question, and his subtle stuttering made his attempt even more adorable. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he hastily added, “Not that you weren’t pretty before, that’s not what I meant!”
“Ah.” Was the most I best I could come up with. I wasn’t good at taking compliments at the outset, and the fact that they had come from him made me even more embarrassed. Any more and I would probably have tried to kiss him, which would have been very bad for the both of us.
“I mean, you’re pretty good-looking, as people go. You’ve got a good height,” He gestured somewhere a little above my head. “…a friendly face,” He drew an imaginary circle in the general region of my face. “…and you have a lovely disposition.” His eyes crinkled a little as he smiled again, covering his smile with his hand as he chuckled to himself. Turning his attention to me, he added sagely, “Now tell me. After all I’ve described, who wouldn’t think that you were beautiful?”
Usually, I was a person who could react to any situation. You name a tight corner, and I had been there before. Growing up with three demanding brothers and dealing with difficult customers at the bar had taught me to stand my ground, and I was a pro at making my voice heard. However, Jaejoong’s words had, for the second time that day, rendered me speechless.
“I… I really couldn’t say.” Feigning ignorance, I shrugged his question aside. After all, he was just trying to prove his point, so the question couldn’t have been anything but rhetorical. As luck would have it, we halted right in front of number 84B, rescuing me from the awkwardness of the situation.
It was a standard low-lying house, with tiny potholes for windows that were slightly scuffed up with dirt. The garden at the front of the house had long fallen into disrepair, and what little vegetation that was left was withered and dry. In a nutshell, this house looked like a shadow of its former self, and stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the neatly trimmed lawns and shiny brickwork of its neighbours.
Jaejoong and I stood there for a good five minutes, just taking in the sorry scene before us. Finally, he heaved a huge sigh and shook his head slightly. Without turning his eyes away from the house, he called out to me.
“Tomoko-san.” When I turned to look at him, he was pointing in the direction of the rusty gate. “This is it. Let’s go.”
~*~
A/N: Yay! More awkwardness between Tomoko and Jaejoong for everyone :D Apologies for the late updates - I am currently ill (again) and am getting my exam results today (!!!!!) so my hands are shaking as I update this. Make my day a little brighter with your comments please~ :D