[Epilogue]
[Gong Minzy]
"Hey, Minzy!"
Stopping in her tracks, Minzy looks over her shoulder. She lets out a surprised gasp in seeing that it's the great Lee Taemin approaching her. She fully turns around as the boy stops right in front of her, unleashing his gorgeous smile. "Uh, what's up, Taemin?" Minzy asks, gripping her dance bag tightly.
Taemin runs his hand through his hair as he looks up at the sky nervously. Minzy raises an eyebrow in confusion. His actions are suddenly queer to her. After her confession a few weeks ago, Minzy's been completely avoiding him. After his rejection, she did cry… for only twenty-one minutes.
"So, I was wondering," Taemin trails off, snapping Minzy back to the present. Minzy nods, looking up at him with big eyes. Taemin nervously chuckles. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date with me this weekend…?" She freezes, staring wide-eyed at the tall boy. Seeing her reaction, Taemin quickly adds, "I mean I know I rejected you a few weeks ago, but after seeing you look completely cool the next few days made me reconsider. I thought you were like all the other whiny girls, but seeing your attitude was refreshing. So, you know, I thought that—"
Taemin's voice fades away as Minzy suddenly remembers her confession a few weeks ago, crying in the middle of the hallway. She remembers her first rejection, her first heartache. Then she remembers standing back up on her feet, smiling. She knows the vow that she made to herself. "No more getting fooled by sweet temptations. A new start, Minzy. A new start." She told herself that day after wiping her tears.
"A new start." Minzy repeats quietly, looking down at her shoes.
"Excuse me? Was that a yes?" Taemin asks, excitement creeping into his voice.
"Actually, that was a no." Minzy states, looking back up to meet his eyes steadily.
He gapes at her, her answer obviously not sinking in. "B-but… What?" He stammers.
Minzy tilts her head slightly to the side, smiling. "You heard me." She grins wider. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested. You're not my type." She quotes him mockingly. With that, she turns, making her growing hair almost whip his face. She struts away, challenging him to stop her. He doesn't. Minzy lets out a whimsical laugh, waving her hand up in the air.
"Forgetting you now." She sings, dancing straight into the dance studio in a light mood.
~O~O~
[Lee Chae Rin]
A freshly blond Chae Rin walks out of the hair salon, searching through her wallet to make sure she has enough money to spare. She grins. She slides on her sunglasses and walks down to the mall next door. It's shopping time for Lee Chae Rin. She mindlessly walks through the halls, simply window-shopping for a bit. She slightly pouts, finding absolutely nothing that catches her interest. Suddenly, she stops dead in her tracks. She gapes through one of the store's windows, eyeing a certain pair of bright red spiked heels. Chae Rin was practically drooling.
She quickly runs into the store, grabbing the shoes on display. Instantly sitting down and slipping them on, she lets out a longing sigh. She fingers one of the spikes lovingly.
"Those look perfect on you." Chae Rin hears a familiar voice approve. Her eyebrows scrunch up together as she looks up. While stifling a gasp, she locks eyes with a bright brown-eyed boy.
"Kib—Key?" She quickly corrects herself after a moment of surprise. She jumps out of her seat, almost stumbling in the process from the height of the shoes. Kibum instantly reaches out for her, but Chae Rin holds her hand up, finding her composure. She lets out a sigh, "What are you doing here, Key?"
Kibum's eyebrows furrow for the fact that she keeps calling him by his nickname whereas she always called him by his real name, no matter how much it annoyed him. He mentally shakes his head and chuckles. "What? I can't go shopping for new clothes?"
"No! That's not—"
"I get it, Chae Rin." He says, putting more emphasis on her name. Chae Rin feels a slight tingle going up and down her spine, and she looks away. She keeps her calm and sits back down on the chair, taking off the heels. She feels Kibum sit down next to her, burning a hole through her with his stare. "I work here." He says.
Surprise runs through her, but she still stays composed. "Oh, yeah. Your aunt works here also, right?"
"Um, yeah." He quietly says. Chae Rin simply nods, hoping for him to leave. She hasn't seen the boy ever since she's confessed to him, no teasing or anything. She just can't stand even being in the same room with him, knowing that he rejected her. A guy she's liked for so long ending up giving her hurt and rejection in return. It was definitely not the happily ever after ending she dreamed of.
"So, I was thinking that maybe you and I could go grab something to eat after this...?" Kibum quickly blurts out. Chae Rin hears him inhale a deep breath, as if it took him a lot of courage to say. Her head shoots up and meets his eyes in astonishment. He sheepishly smiles at her. "I know it's so sudden and we haven't talked in weeks. But after what you told me a few weeks ago, I started seeing you in a new light. I feel really stupid for rejecting. I'm sorry, Chae Rin. I want to try again." He trails off. "So, what do you say?"
Crying. She remembers that day a few weeks ago. That was the first time she's ever cried over a boy. After counting twenty-one sheep at night after that confession, she made a vow to herself. "After liking him for years, this could be a new start." She told herself that night. She looks into his anticipating bright brown eyes.
Maybe, just maybe, she could find a better happily ever after.
She rises up from her seat with him standing up with her. Slowly, she smiles and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Key." She simply replies.
A long and tense silence passes between them as Kibum looks down at the ground and plays with his fingers. He continuously lets out deep sighs. Chae Rin stands her ground, unsure on what to do next. Out of nowhere, he chuckles a deep chuckle. He meets Chae Rin's strong eyes. "I guess I deserve this, right?"
She merely shrugs, refusing to feel guilt. She's better off without him anyway. She knows she'll find better.
Kibum chuckles once more and nods. "That's the CL everyone knows."
"The CL that you'll only know." She smirks. She pulls her sunglasses out from her back pocket, sliding them on. She pats Kibum on the shoulder and turns to walk out, regaining her composure. It's the CL she's always been. She grins.
She's Lee Chae Rin, off to find a better happily ever after.
~O~O~
[Park Sandara]
"Hey, Dara."
The beautiful brunette turns around, making the elegant dress she's going to model sway. She feels people crowd her, constantly fixing her make-up and fidgeting with her dress. Her breath catches in her throat. Suddenly, the hands of the people felt suffocating.
"Minho." She curtly nods, trying to calm herself.
He smiles a small smile, eyeing the people surrounding her. Then he looks back to her soft brown eyes. "Can we talk?"
A jolt bursts inside of the petite woman, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. But as she looks at him, she realizes that this conversation could lead to something entirely different than their break up weeks ago. She feels herself stiffen at that damn day. She felt disgusting with her streaked make up and wrinkled dress. That day, she felt like a rookie, the model no one wanted to look at. Her hair stylist tugging on her curled locks bring her out of her thoughts.
Keeping her eyes locked on Minho, she waves them away with flip of her hand. "Talk." She monotonously says.
Minho rubs the back of his neck, taken aback by Dara's cold attitude. He knew she was only like this to him. He simply stands there, looking everywhere but at the model in front of him. He continuously lets out deep sighs, irritating Dara.
"Could you hurry this up? I have a hundred reporters out there waiting to interview me." She snaps, a certain edge to her voice. From the outburst, Minho gapes at her, mouth wide open. This only agitates Dara more. "Not saying anything? Fine. Don't say I didn't give you a chance to speak." She mutters darkly, going up the stage.
"Wait," He utters out, grabbing her arm. She snatches her arm away from his touch. He looks down at the ground before meeting her eyes. "Come back to me?"
"Excus—"
"Dara! We need you out there now!" Her manager hisses, gently pushing her out to the center of the stage. Regaining her composure, Dara stands tall and smiles for the camera, giving off a very model-like posture. Throughout the whole hour-long interview, she answers with ease. All the while, her mind is clouded with worry and irritation about a certain tall, handsome man backstage. She knows he's watching her on the sidelines, seeing his lean figure leaning against the frame of the stage.
However, she stubbornly refuses to glance back at him. All he'll do is smile an encouraging smile and she'll melt right then and there. She's aware on how weak she can be when it comes to men. She slightly shakes her head, remembering her anger towards him. How dare he ask her to come back him? Even in the most informal way, as if he's expecting for her to run back in his arms instantaneously. But…
As cameras flash, she angles her body to the left of the audience, where he now stands amongst the reporters and photographers. Her smile falters a bit as he grins up at her, almost as if he's proud. She watches as his eyes crinkle when he grins like that. That was one of the things she's loved about him. He had that certain smile only for her that—
"Dara Park, are you currently dating anyone at the moment?" A reporter asks loudly, rising his microphone up to make sure he gets it on tape.
She stills, her smile frozen. What does she answer to that? Her big, brown eyes land on Minho, who looks up at her expectantly. He knows that whatever answer she replies with will be the answer to his question from moments before. Her mind buzzes at she contemplates. The room grows quiet as everyone waits, sitting on the edge of their seats.
"No." She smiles. "I haven't dated since I was a rookie in modeling." She laughs, wittily answering the question. As reporters and photographers are fueled up, her eyes land right on Minho, making sure he understood his answer. She sees him sigh and look around at everyone in the room before walking out.
Dara looks after him, the ache in her heart fading away. As Minho takes twenty-one steps, a reporter asks Dara, "There are rumors stating that you and Lee Minho from your rival company have been dating. Is that true?" Minho stops, turning around.
She shakes her head, holding his eyes down. "Those rumors are false. I would never date someone from a rival company." Minho clasps his hands into fists, staring pleadingly at Dara. She simply returns his stare with a cold one.
"You've taken a few weeks off since Jeremy Scott's show. Was that from heartbreak? Supposedly you and Lee Minho broke off?" Another reporter questions quickly, insistent.
The brown-haired beauty lets out a composed laugh, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I don't have a relationship to begin with, let alone a heartbreak." She smoothly retorts, glancing at the persistent reporter. Looking back at Minho, she adds, "I just took a few weeks off to get a new start."
"And what was that new start?" Another asks.
She looks away from Minho this time, smiling at the stuffed crowd. "A new start in my life, of course!" She, again, wittily exclaims, laughing. As the whole crowds chuckles at her vague response, she's able to catch the entrance doors swinging shut. Proud of her newfound confidence, she blows a kiss towards the cameras, the audience eating it up.
~O~O~
[Park Bom]
"Bom, look. I know how you feel about Jaejoong after what happened a few weeks ago, but could you please just suck it up and record a song with him?" Teddy pleads, unconsciously clasping her hands together.
The redheaded girl looks away from her best friend's eyes, sighing. After that humiliation, she avoided Jaejoong for a few weeks, unable to meet the eyes that betrayed her. She didn't want to look into the eyes of someone who she actually trusted and fell for too fast. After thinking about it all night that day, she knew he found out. She wasn't that stupid to fall for his petty lie.
"Bommie?" Teddy begs once more, hoping to break the girl down.
Bom sighs once more at the use of her nickname. "Fine. Call him in." She mutters. She sits down at the couch, away from the door as possible so he won't have to even step near her line of sight. She hears an extra set of footsteps enter the room; an awkward silence unfolds. Teddy clears his throat; he didn't think it would be this uncomfortable in the room. "Let's start, guys!" He tries to cheerily exclaim. As he sits down on his chair, he orders, "You first Bommie."
Mentally, she cringes, but she keeps up her poise. Ignoring his steely glare, she walks inside the recording booth. Knowing that they can't see her from the waist down, she anxiously taps her foot. Keeping her chin held high, she sings, listening to the melody Teddy made. Listening to the lyrics, she feels her eyes water, silently wanting to strangle Teddy. She spots Teddy smile, trying to hide it. She knew Teddy wrote the lyrics based on what happened to her and Jaejoong. She feels heat rush up to her cheeks. She can't even bring her to look at—
"That's great, Bommie!" Teddy stops the track. She takes off the headset, frustrated. She stomps out of the booth, meeting Jaejoong's eyes by mistake. With a frown, she looks away, sitting all the way at the other end of the couch. "Get up, Jaejoong. Your turn." Teddy grunts.
Bom hides her smile, appreciating that Teddy feels her pain. She feels Jaejoong shifting as he gets up from the couch. "Uh, Teddy. I don't feel comfortable singing this." Jaejoong mumbles in Teddy's ear, thinking that the wine-haired beauty can't hear.
Bom gapes at him, burning a hole right though his back. She stands up. "And why not?" She demands.
Jaejoong turns around, obviously startled. Bom rolls her eyes at the sight. Not a big man now, huh? She thinks sarcastically. He scratches his head, not meeting her eyes. She balls her hands into fists. Now he won't meet her eyes! "I don't want to think about what happened a few weeks ago," He finally admits, looking deep into her gaze. His eyes were sorry. She looks away, gulping. "I want to apologize, Bom."
She snaps her head towards him. "Apologize?" She exclaims incredulously. "You have the nerve to kiss me and lure me into your bed yet whisper around with other women and dare to lie to my face? If you think—"
"I broke up with them."
Bom stops, catching her rigid breath. "What?"
"I only want you." He mumbles, playing with his fingers.
She gapes at him, eyeing his sullen figure. She slides her eyes over to her best friend. Teddy looks up at Jaejoong from his seat. He shakes his head. "Pathetic," He hears him murmur under his breath. The singer smirks, amused at Jaejoong. She looks back at him.
"You only want me?" She questions, putting up a fake innocent tone.
"Yeah, just you. I realized my mistake and I'm sorry. I won't cheat anymore. Will you forgive me and give me another chance?" He looks up.
Bom looks away, afraid to look into his eyes again. She thought she had covered this before. She thought she was going to move on. His eyes, however, spoke a different story. He really looked like he wanted to be with her, without any cheats. She knows she'll cave in under his eyes, under the pressure. But then she remembers what she told herself that day. She promised herself. Taking a sidelong glance at Jaejoong, she bites her lip, unsure. Suddenly, a song plays in the room. She and Jaejoong both look over at Teddy.
"What?" He asks, shrugging. "Just because you two got something going on doesn't mean I have to stop working."
She narrows her brown eyes at her best friend, knowing he's up to something. Her best friend winks at her before turning around in his chair. Although confused, she keeps her serenity. Her eyes land on Jaejoong fast enough to see him throw a peeved look at her best friend before putting up his façade. Bom scoffs, aghast. She walks up to him slowly, watching, as his face turns eager.
Bom cocks her head to the side, sizing him up. She's unsure on what to do, what to say to him. She distantly hears Teddy replay the song again. Pushing her clouded thoughts away, she listens to the lyrics and the beat. Twenty-one seconds into the song, realization strikes her. She grins, her glossed lips shining. Her best friend was a genius. Looking in between the verses and the beat, she knows her message.
Jaejoong raises an eyebrow, curious. The singer lets out a loud laugh.
Slap!
Jaejoong looks up at the girl in front of him, her fiery red hair looking brighter than usual under the dim lighting of the recording studio. He touches his cheek angrily. "What was that for?" He shouts.
"For being an ass to women." Bom smiles widely, placing her hands on her hips. Boy did she feel amazing. "Look," She continues, her voice never faltering. "I want a new start. And I'd really enjoy it if I don't see your face or hear your voice ever again, got it?"
Jaejoong scoffs, rubbing his cheek. "Well, that's too bad, princess. We need to record a song together."
Bom laughs coldly, resting a hand on Teddy's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I can hold down a song on my own." She points towards the door. "Now get out." Jaejoong mutters a string of curses under his breath, clenching his fists tight. Bom bites her lip at first, contemplating if she did the right thing. Then she hears him lose his façade and she reconsiders. She lets out a long sigh and feels knots in her chest disappear with every step Jaejoong takes.
"Later, pretty boy. I'll write up a good song for you to regain your bruised ego." Teddy salutes him mockingly.
She giggles, humming the song proudly.
"You're trying to overcome this easily.
But it seems our time's already up.
Time to say goodbye; don't pretend like you can't hear me.
We were over a long time ago; now turn your head away.
I'm singing a break-up song.
Bye, my love."
A/N: Good lord! I'm finally done with this story! It was fun writing this, but I'm extremely sad that I never finished this by Valentine's -_- Hopefully, I can write another one and finish it by the time it's due. But I'm not going to lie, this wasn't my best :c
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this. And I really hope it didn't disappoint (aside from my lack of updating) I'd like to hear what you guys thought of it! Comments, anyone? (:
P.S. I'm still in the process of writing GD's story. Just to let you guys know [;