| Fan Fiction |
by Isa
him out. Who knows? He might just be the guy you could
fall in love with." SooJin said as she and Grace
were in their AP English class. "Mwoh? Him? Never!"
Grace said loudly. The whole class and the teacher
turned around, glancing at her and SooJin, at her
sudden outburst. Grace smiled sheepishly, and
bowed slightly in apology. The class and the teacher
then went back to their work. "SooJin, I think you
are watching way too many dramas." Grace said as she
wrote her rough draft of her essay. "You never know.
Like, like, Ooh uh, remember Sam Soon fell for the
young and charming Jinhyun? Or, or, YiJung and GaEul?
or how about, Bong Soon and BongKi? They all started
out, arguing, but they fell in love." SooJin pointed
out. Grace rolled her eyes at this. "First of all,
KiBum is older than me. I'm not his nuna like SamSoon
was with Jinhyun. Second, YiJung and GaEul were never
officially together. And lastly, BongSoon didn't have
much of a choice. Was she really going to pick the
married guy who's wife has dementia and he has a four
year old daughter?" Grace pointed out. SooJin sighed.
"Fine." She said, and went back to her rough draft.
Later on that day, Grace was walking home, when it
started to drizzle. She didn't have an umbrella with
her and just pulled the hood of her jacket over her
head, and continued walking. But as she continued walking
the rain started to get heavier, and seemed to be pelting
her, the rain drops, hitting her hardly. She started
walking faster, when someone approached her. She squinted
and looked up, to see KiBum, giving her a small smile,
holding an umbrella over the both of them. "Need help?"
He offered. She sighed. "What are you following me
around now?" She snapped at him. "No. I live around here.
Mind if I walk you home?" He offered. She sighed.
"Look. Thank you for the offer, really. But you're
wasting your time. I don't need your help. I'm sure
you can find millions of other girls who would be
flattered that you took an interest in them. So, I'll
be going now." She said firmly. KiBum nodded. "If you're
sure." He told her. She nodded and left the protection
of his umbrella and continued to hurriedly walk home
as the rain continued to pelt her, so she went off in
a jog, down the sidewalk, until she finally got to her
house. She pulled out her house key from her jacket
pocket, and opened the front door, and went inside.
"Grace, you're soaking wet. Didn't you have an
umbrella?" Her mom asked her as she came from the
kitchen. She shook her head. "Anio. Omma. But I'm going
to change and take a shower now." She told her
and started climbing up the stairs to her room.
"Ah rah suh. Dinner will be ready soon." Her mom
said. "Neh." Grace said and went to her room, walking
into her bathroom. She took off her wet clothes and
took a warm shower, and then slipped into clean
sleeping clothes. She then went down for dinner,
and ate with her mom and brother. After finishing her
dinner,
she walked back up the stairs, and went into her room,
and sat down on her bed for awhile, just listening
to music. "Was I too harsh on him? But of all people
why would he want to try and get to know me? Maybe
I should have accepted his offer?" She thought to
herself in confusion. She sighed and laid back on
her bed. She turned off her stereo, and then
got up from her bed, walking over to her bathroom.
She brushed her teeth, and washed her face, then
went back into her room, slipping under her bedcovers
and drifted off to sleep.
The following day, it was a Saturday. She decided to
take a walk over to the local Starbucks for a morning
pick me up. She pulled open the door, as the strong
scent of fresh brewing coffee hit her senses. She inhaled
and then, walked forward to get in line for coffee. The
person in front of her turned around, and as luck would
have it, it was KiBum. "Okay, seriously you need to
stop.." She started to say. "I'm not following you
I swear." He interrupted her quickly. She glanced up
at him. "Then what? Are you going to start in by telling
me it's fate or something?" She said incredulously.
He glanced at her with raised eyebrows, questioningly.
"Nevermind." She said. "Well, I'm not in any hurry.
Do you mind talking with me for a little while?" He
asked her. She sighed. "Fine. But don't think this
means anything." She told him. He nodded. He turned
back around, and ordered a latte. Then waited as she
ordered her mocha frappucino. After they both got
their orders, they went outside, and sat a table
with an umbrella overhead, to shade them from the sun
that was just starting to shine brightly. She sat down
in front of him, taking a sip of her coffe. Then glanced
back at him. "So? What do you want to talk about?" She
asked him. "Well, what do you like to do?" He asked her.
"I listen to music, go for walks, I write. You?" She
asked him. "I sing, I listen to music. I play basketball."
He said with a small smile. Miraculously, her lips curved
slightly in a smile, but she quickly made her face back
to it's normal expression. But KiBum noticed it, and
quickly pointed it out. "Oh, hey. I saw that. You smiled."
He said, smiling even wider now, showing his perfectly
aligned white teeth. She shook her head, and her lips
unintentionally curved into a smile again. "There it is
again!" He said. She relaxed her face and just smiled
naturally. So he was pretty charming after all. She
thought. "Okay, okay. You got me there." She said,
looking down at the table for a moment. Then back up
at him. He smiled, and then spoke up. "Hey, can I ask
you another question now that you're smiling?" He
said. You nodded. "Why do you, keep to yourself?" He
asked. The smile quickly dissappeared from her face.
And her expression turned grave. She sighed and figured
she minus well tell him. "SooJin's been my friend since
we were young, she was the only friend that stuck with
me, throughout these past years. The other girls, didn't
understand what I was going through and why I was suddenly
growing more distant, but she stayed by me. Not too long
ago, my parents were arguing alot, and my dad even through
a vase, but fortunately it hit our wall, instead of my mom.
And they divorced. My parents are still battling over
custody over me and my little brother James. That's why
I've been keeping to myself. I don't think people would
want anything to do with me after finding out about all
these problems I've had." She said, looking back up
at him. KiBum was very surprised and felt very sorry
to hear this. "I'm sorry." He said. "It's okay. You
wanted to know right?" She said with a sad smile.
"No really. Do you want to talk some more? You don't have
to say yes, if you don't want to." He told her.
Surprisingly, she felt better, talking to him. She
nodded. "Sure." She said. They grabbed their coffee
from the table and left the coffee shop, walking down the
sidewalk. KiBum led the way, and they continued walking
for a few more blocks. They ended up at the pier of
the beach. They walked across the boardwalk.
"Wah. Do you go here alot?" She asked him.
He glanced at her. "Once in awhile, to think.
Or just vent. Or sometimes sing." He told her.
She nodded. "Hey, do you think, you could sing
something?" She asked him. "Now?" He asked her.
She nodded with a small smile. They stopped walking.
And he started singing, as the tone of his voice
surprised her.
"Nan andweh getni
ee saeng eh seon
ta eum saeng eh seon dweh getni
yaksok handa myeon
oh neul ri gu ji ra do
doo ryeop ji ahnget suh, my love."
"Wah. That's from. Something Happened in Bali." She
said, clapping. He nodded with a small smile.
"Aww, gyupdah." A girl said to her friend, as
they were passing by, hearing him sing. KiBum rubbed
the back of his head, slightly embarrased. Grace
smiled and they continued walking across the pier
again. "Okay. Hamburger or hotdog?" He asked her.
She looked at him. "What?" She said, confused.
"Just answer." He said with a smile. "Uh, hamburger?"
She said unsure. "Day or night?" He asked.
"Night." She answered. "Sweet or sour?" He asked.
"Sweet. Why are you asking this?" She asked him.
"It's this game where you get to know someone by asking
them between two choices of things." He explained.
"Okay fine. Spicy or not spicy?" She asked him back.
"Spicy." He said. "Beach or the mountains?" She
asked him. "The beach." He answered. "Lemons or limes?"
She said. "What? Lemons?" He said. "Slow songs or
fast songs?" She asked. "Both." He said. "Both?"
She said. He nodded. "Slow songs are good for relaxing,
but there are good fast songs too. Take for example.
Super Junior's song, "Reset" is a good somewhat slow song.
But their "Why I Like You" song is also good." He
said. She nodded, understanding. They finally
reached the end of the pier. And they leaned
agsinst the wooden railings, looking down
below at the people running across the sand, playing
volleyball, wading in the ocean, or just relaxing on
towels, laying in the sun.
"Press the Reset, Press, Press the rest, ohh.." Her
cellphone rang in the pocket of her jacket. "See?"
he said with a smile. She smiled back and answered her
phone. "Hello? Mwoh? I'm coming. Just stay right there
dongseng." She exclaimed into her phone, a worried
expression on her face, then she hung up. KiBum looked
at her concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked her.
"Uh. I have to go. Thanks again." She said and took a
step forward, to run home, but he grabbed her arm gently.
"Grace wait. Maybe I can help." He told her. She sighed,
looking back at him. "I don't want to bring you into
this." She said. "Tell me. Please." He asked her gently.
She looked up at him. "My dad, came over to my house.
He, he beat my mom pretty badly. I have to get home
and take her to the hospital. My little brother's only
five, he doesn't know how to give our address if he
called 911." She explained. "I have my car here,
just a few blocks. Let me drive you there." He told
her. She nodded and they quickly ran to his car
and he drove her back to her place. When they got there,
she gasped as they got to the front of her house, the
front porch screen door, was torn apart, roughtly, and
it was hanging limply to one side. She and KiBum rushed
inside. And she found her little brother, quickly
running to her, and hugging her legs. "Nuna!" He
said crying. "Shh. Where's omma?" She asked him, as she
stroked his hair gently. He let go of her, and led
the way to her mom's room. Grace gasped again, as she
saw her mom, leaning against the far left wall of the room.
Her eyes were bruised, and her lip was swollen.
"Omma?" Grace called to her, worriedly, tears forming
in her eyes, and quickly rushed over to her.
"Grace?" Her mother called to her, weakly. "Omma.
we're going to take you to the hospital. Okay? This
is KiBum he's going to help us." She said gently to
her mom. KiBum and Grace both supported her mom
on both sides of her arms, and gently lifted her
up and they helped her to his car, as they told James
to follow along. They put her mom in the backseat,
with James seated beside her and KiBum drove to
the hospital as fast as he could without breaking
the speed limit. They arrived at the hospital
and a swarm of medical officials came out of the
hospital with a stretcher and carefully placed Mrs.
Park on it, rushing her over to the emergency room.
KiBum, Grace, and James, sat in the waiting room,
worriedly. "Are you nuna's boyfriend?" James asked
KiBum. Grace looked at her little brother, her eyes
widening. "Dongseng." She said, embarrased. "No. I'm
just a new friend." He said with a smile. "Oh." James
said. "Are you hungry?" KiBum asked him. The little
boy nodded. "I'll take you to the cafeteria. Grace
you want anything?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"Okay, we'll be back." He told her, taking the little
boy's hand and leading him to the cafeteria of
the hospital. Grace sat there, tears streaming down
her face. "He could've killed her." She thought about
her dad coming back. She suddenly saw flashes of
the images of how beat up her mother looked. And
she really started sobbing. KiBum and James soon
came back. "Nuna, are you okay?" James asked.
"Hey dongseng, why don't you go into the video game
room for a little bit?" KiBum told him. James nodded
and walked in the next room, to play with the other
little kids. KiBum sat down beside her. "Hey, it's
okay. Your mom's going to be okay." He told her.
She just sobbed harder, and leaned herself against
him. He was surprised, but hugged her lightly,
as she sobbed into his chest. After a few minutes,
her crying died down and she just sniffed, as she pulled
back, looking at him with watery eyes. "OMO. I got
your shirt wet. Sorry." She said apologizing. "It's okay.
Are you gonna be okay?" He asked her. She nodded.
"Thank you KiBum really." She said, grateful. He nodded.
"Miss Park?" The doctor called to her. "Yes?" She
said. "Your mom's condition is not that serious. She's
just had a few minor stiches to her face, which should
heal in a few months, and she can be released from
here, by the end of the week." The doctor told her.
"Oh, thank god." She said, relieved. "Would you like
to see her now?" He asked her. She nodded. "You can go
home now if you want KiBum." She told him. He nodded.
She went to the next room and got James from the video
game room, and they walked over to her mom's hospital room.
"Omma?" Grace called to her mom. "Grace? James?" Their
mom said weakly. They walked over to the side of
her mom's hospital bed. And took her hand. "That boy
such a nice young man really." She said, talking
about KiBum. "Neh omma. Are you alright?" She
asked her. "I'm fine. Be sure to thank him." Mrs. Park
said to her. "I did omma." She told her. The doctor
soon ushered them out of the room again.
"What? OMO. But how? Who took you there?" SooJin
asked as she and Grace lay on twin beds in SooJin's
room. Grace and James were staying at SooJin's until
their mom was released from the hospital. "KiBum
drove us there fortunately." Grace explained.
"Ooh. He did? Aww." SooJin said with a smile.
"We're just friends!" Grace told her defensively.
"What? I didn't say anything." SooJin said innocently.
Grace sighed and they soon fell asleep after talking
throughout the night.
Weeks soon passed by, Grace's mom had come home from
the hospital a few weeks before, and was recovering well.
They had their porch door fixed, and her dad was now
sentenced to another trial for beating up her mom.
Grace and KiBum talked more openly with one another
at school, and they hung out with each other more.
"Hey, so, you guys are all going to colleges in
the country right?" Grace asked, Donghae, Kyuhyun,
and the other seniors who were graduating soon.
"Yeah, except KiBum, he's going back to the states
for college." Donghae told her as they sat at a booth
in BJ's Restaurant. KiBum wasn't there because he
had to finish doing something, apparently, it was
probably to start packing for the states. Grace's
eyes widened in surprise. "He's going to study in
the states?" She asked Donghae. He looked at her
surprised. "He didn't tell you?" He asked her.
She shook her head. "Oh, well. Yeah." He said. "Do you
know where he is right now?" She asked him. He shook
his head. She quickly paid her part of the bill,
and left the restaurant, as SooJin, DongHae, and Kyuhyun
looked after her in confusion.
[Play] You Found Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojScwmRGHlM
Grace quickly jogged to KiBum's house, but
received no answer at the door. She sighed and turned
around, jogging down a few blocks, and arrived at the
pier. It was basically deserted by this time, but
she saw a figure at the end of the pier, looking
out at the ocean, as they leaned against the railings.
She jogged up to the figure, and stood beside him.
He glanced at her, surprised. "Grace. Hey." He
said. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving for
the states?" She asked him. "What?" He said, looking
at her confused. She sighed. "KiBum oppa, I know
I'm asking for a lot. But please don't go. I, like you."
She confessed, looking up at him. He looked at
her surprised. She summoned up all her courage, and
stepped forward, and closed her eyes, pecking him on
the lips lightly, and pulling back. He finally spoke
up. "I like you too. But I'm not going to the states."
He said, looking at her confused. "What?" She said.
"Who told you.. Aigoo, Donghae hyung I bet, really."
He said with a small smile. "I, you mean, oh my god.
And I just.." She broke off, feeling really embarrased
now. KiBum laughed lightly at this, and smiled at her.
"Hey, I said I like you too. Remember?" He said.
"You did? Oh. I only heard you saying how Donghae oppa
was the one who lied about you going to the states."
She said, sheepishly. "Well, I did say it." He said
and stepped forward this time, and leaned in towards
her, as he held her face gently. She closed her eyes,
and felt his lips meet hers, softly at first, then
with more eagerness. Her hands moved from his shoulders,
to being wrapped around his neck, and his hands moved
from her face, to holding her around the waist, firmly.
After a few seconds they broke apart. She looked up
at him. "So, why do you like me?" He asked, a smirk
playing across his face. She looked at him, slightly
embarrased, but said with confidence, "Because, you
took the time to get to know me, when no one else
bothered. You found me, when no one else was looking."
She said. He smiled, and leaned in closely to her again,
until his lips met hers again. They kissed as the ocean
waves crashed against the rocks, and the wind blew the
palm tree leaves, lightly. And so, it looked like
SooJin was right after all.
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Isabel Santos Copyright 2009.
All rights reserved.