Temptation : Chapters 3 - 5
Chapter 3
Chae gasped when she woke up the next morning. A bright ray of sunshine was beginning to crawl across the floor. Chae looked around, confused. She saw JinHwan asleep leaning on her shoulder. Then she remembered where she was and what happened the night before.
"Damn, my parents are gonna KILL me!" Chae quietly said to herself. She got up, trying not to disturb her oppa. He was fast asleep. She decided to leave him a note:
Oppa,
I went home. Please get some rest and take some time out for yourself, okay? I want you to PLEASE call me on my cell if you need to talk or whatever. I just want you to know I'll be here if you need me.
Chae quickly slammed the note down and ran out to her car. Her parents were probably going to be furious with her. She ran into her house, expecting her parents to be at the door, waiting to jump. In fact, they weren't home at all. Chae decided to call her mother's cell phone.
"Annyoung, Mom?"
"Chae? We're at the police station, filing a "Missing Person" report." her mother didn't sound too happy...
"I was uh, out?" Chae didn't even want to know what her mother thought when she said this.
"What?! You were "OUT"? What the hell is that supposed to mean? We were all worried sick about you. God knows what you were doing and who you were doing it with..." she ranted on and on.
"Mom," Chae interrupted, "I was at JinHwan oppa's house."
"WHAT?!? You were at JinHwan's house the whole night. Chae, I thought you were more responsible than that..." Chae had to hold the phone away from her ear.
"Mom, the reason I was at his house... was because his mom died." Chae found it kinda hard to get the words out.
"Oh." There was a long silence. "Well, um... mi an hae Chae. I didn't know. But, did you DO anything?"
"It's okay mom, we didn't. He's my best friend, and he was just really strung out. I just accidentally fell asleep." Even though it was true, Chae thought her mother wouldn't buy it. She would probably say something like 'How can you ACCIDENTALLY fall asleep, etc...'
"Well, I guess I just have to trust your judgement Chae. So how is JinHwan doing?"
"He's feeling really bad right now... when I left he was still asleep."
"Oh. Well, we'll be heading home then. See you in a few minutes."
"Bye."
*~*~*
Chae was really worried about JinHwan the following Monday. He didn't call her or anything. She nervously waited at her door for him to pick her up for school. Finally, she saw his car coming up the drive.
"Annyoung!" JinHwan cheerfully called out of the window. Chae's jaw dropped when she saw how happy he looked.
"Um, annyoung..." She threw her books into the back seat and got in.
"So, what all did I miss at school these past few days?" Hwannie asked.
"Um, well, we had to do pages 56-57 in physics..." Chae said, grabbing her notebook to check.
"No, not homework. I'm talking about like people. Did Danny ever ask Shina out?"
"Um, I dunno." Chae was confused. Why was JinHwan acting so... happy? "Wait, yeah, he did on Thursday."
"Finally." JinHwan smiled staring at the road.
"Oppa, are you okay?" Chae asked.
"Ne, why wouldn't I be?" JinHwan looked at her puzzled. Chae could tell he was faking it though.
"Well, you know, about this weekend?"
"Chae, I'm fine." His voie suddenly tightened. "I just don't wanna talk about it, okay?"
"Ne." Chae looked down feeling a little hurt.
*~*~*
Chae couldn't stand JinHwan the rest of the day. He was acting so stoic, like nothing had ever happened. Like everything was normal...
"Hey, Rebekka right?" JinHwan leaned over towards Rebekka in Korean Literature.
"Ne." she blushed. Chae instantly felt sick to her stomach. She had seen her oppa mack on girls before, but this was different. Chae was... jealous. She couldn't believe it, but she knew in her heart that she was. Over all that she and her oppa had been through, she found herself falling for him.
"Earth to Chae." JinHwan waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Are you here?"
"Um, I guess I am now." Chae blushed a little, embarrassed by what she had just discovered about her feelings for her oppa.
"So do you wanna come with Rebekka and me to the movies after school today?"
"Uh... ne, I guess."
"Cool."
*~*~*
Chae found herself at the movies sitting next to Rebekka. JinHwan was on the other side. They were watching a really corny movie. It was about some girl and a boy she liked. The whole time, JinHwan and Rebekka were whispering to each other. Chae felt really jealous and left out. She tried to get into the movie, but she couldn't when the guy she liked was flirting with a different girl.
"Well, I had a great time. Thanks JinHwan." Rebekka said as she got out of his car.
"Yeah, me too." he said, looking into her eyes. Chae looked away, because she knew that look all too well. JinHwan always gave it to someone he really cared about. Chae felt her heart break even further when JinHwan and Rebekka exchanged phone numbers. Rebekka finally left, and the rest of the drive home was silent.
"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Chae got out and started to leave.
"Chae, wait. I wanna ask you something." he grabbed her arm.
"What?"
"Um, I know this is stupid, but... do you think Rebekka likes me?" JinHwan gave her an embarrassed smile.
Chae felt as if someone had ripped out her heart and broke it into a million pieces. She tried her best to keep her voice stable. "Well, how would I know?" Chae ran from the car trying to keep JinHwan from seeing her tears.
Chapter 4
"Agh! I totally can't understand this math homework!" Mako exclaimed on the other line.
"It's okay, you just have to reverse the fraction, divide it by two, then multiply the reciprocal by that. Then once you have that number, you take the square root..."
"Chae! That's exactly why I don't understand it! There's too much crap to do, and for what? Why would we ever need this junk?" Chae could hear Mako slam her book closed. "Hey, guess what?"
"What?" Chae sighed, a little exasperated. Knowing Mako, she would just start talking about her boyfriend.
"Baekkie oppa bought me a rose! For no reason! Isn't that sweet?"
"Ne." Chae sighed again.
"Hey you guys, you're leaving me out!" Shina whined. "Three-way calling is supposed to be with THREE people, not two. Don't feel too special anyways Mako, cuz Danny asked me out Thursday."
"Isn't that sweet?!?" Mako said a little louder.
"Ne." Chae repeated, sighing again.
"What's wrong Chae?" Shina asked. "You usually don't sigh THIS much."
"Oh, sorry, you guys are just sooooo boring..." Chae heard them both give her raspberries through the phone. "Just kidding! Don't get your phones all wet!"
"Anyways, what's the REAL problem?" Mako urged.
"Nothing, I'm just thinking." Chae answered truthfully. She was thinking about JinHwan.
"Uh huh.... yeeeaaaahh..." both the other girls said.
"I know what it is." Shina said, teasing.
"W-What?!" Mako asked. "Why am I always left out?"
"No you're not Mako. I think that someone has a little crush..." Shina went on.
"Are you talking about me?" Chae asked.
"Oh noooooo, why would we ever talk about you?" Mako joked.
"Well, and what if I do have a crush on someone?" Chae asked, a little angry.
"Haha!!! I was right!" Shina let out a whoop.
"Who who who who who who who???" Mako asked.
"Um... Hwannie oppa?" Chae felt a little embarrassed.
"What?!" both girls exclaimed. "JinHwan?"
"Ne." Chae could feel her cheeks flush. "You can't tell ANYONE, not even Danny or BaekKyoung!"
"We won't." both said. Chae laughed when she imagined them sitting there with halos above their heads.
"So? Tell us more..." Shina begged.
"Well, he likes Rebekka." Chae said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.
"Oh." Mako said after a long silence.
"Damn, that sux..." Shina tried to comfort Chae. The girls sat and talked some more, and Chae decided to hang up. Mako and Shina still stayed on the phone, and came up with a plan...
*~*~*
The next morning, JinHwan picked Chae up as usual. They rode in silence all the way to school, and once they got there, they still didn't talk. Chae felt a little bad about that, but didn't say anything to him. She felt a little embarrassed by the way she acted the night before too.
The rest of the day basically went like that. JinHwan didn't make any attempts to talk to Chae, so she didn't talk to him either. On the ride home, Chae felt like she would burst. It was so hard for her to not talk to her oppa. She managed to keep quiet though, and decided to zone out. She stared out the window, watching trees, houses, and cars pass by. She suddenly realized they weren't going home when she snapped out of it.
She gave him a puzzled look, but he kept looking straight at the road.
"Where are we going?" Chae asked a little nervously.
"Here." JinHwan pulled the car over into a small parking lot. Chae looked around puzzled. She didn't know where they were or what they were doing there.
"First of all, there's a few things we need to talk about."
"Ne." Chae looked down at her books.
"Why haven't you talked to me all day?"
"Well, it's not like you made any attempts either." Chae defended.
"Ok, fair enough. But I thought maybe you were mad at me or something." JinHwan gently grabbed her chin so she would look into his eyes. "Are you mad?"
"Anie, of course not..." Chae bit her lip, hoping he would believe this lie. She couldn't be mad at him, not now... not after what happened with his mom.
"Okay. Then what was that last night?" he looked at her skeptically.
"I uh, really had to pee. Ya." Chae lied once again. "That's why I ran inside."
"Really? Okay, well, I thought you were mad or something." JinHwan looked a little releived. Then he looked up at Chae. She looked away because she didn't want him to find out that she had lied to him. "Well, let's get home."
*~*~*
"Hehehe... just wait until she finds it!" Mako mischieviously laughed. Her and Shina stayed after school to put some of their 'Plan' into action.
"Yeah, she'll totally freak." Shina giggled. "Thank gawd Teddy'll play along." Shina stuck a folded-up note through a crack in Rebekka's locker while Mako made sure no one was watching.
"I feel a little bad..." Mako began.
"Hey," Shina interrupted, "just remember we're doing this for Chae."
"Ya, and JinHwan too when he finds out!" Both girls giggled and walked away, talking about what would happen when Rebekka found their little note.
Chapter 5
Rebekka opened her locker trying to find a book for her next class. She was so happy about her and JinHwan. She just came a few days ago, and already she was dating a really nice, hot guy. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a folded piece of paper fell to the floor.
"Hmm, what's this?" Rebekka asked aloud. She opened the note and read it eagerly.
Rebekka,
I just wanted to tell you that I really want to get to know you better. I have the biggest crush on you. Can you please meet me at the Total Access Club on Friday night?
- Your Secret Admirer
Rebekka felt herself blush. Who could it be? She smiled with recognition after thinking about it for awhile. "Ah, JinHwan, you're so sweet."
*~*~*
Chae walked slowly to each of her classes. She usually rushed, but lately she just didn't care. She didn't really seem to care about anything these days. Chae zoned out and trudged down the hall.
"Chae!" A voice called out from behind her. She turned around, knocking someone over with her books.
"Oh! Mi an hae..." Chae gasped, helping a stunned freshman off the floor. He gave her a strange look and and left.
"Man, you're lethal." a familiar figure came up to her.
"Teddy oppa! What are you doing here?" Chae gave her close friends a bear hug. "I thought you graduated last year." Chae joked.
"I did. That's why I'm still in high school." he played along.
"So where have you been lately? I haven't seen you around in a long time."
"I was sick. Some type of respiratory infection or whatever." he playfully ruffled Chae's hair. "So what have you been up to? I hope your keeping Hwannie dongseng in check."
Chae quickly fixed her hair. "I guess."
"Well, what are you doing this period?" Teddy quickly changed the subject after remembering Chae's crush.
"Eh, math. It's so boring." Chae walked up to the door of her class. The tardy bell rang.
"Do you wanna cut class with me?" Teddy grinned.
"You just came back, and you already wanna cut class?" Chae laughed.
"Ne, they won't notice anyway. So, you wanna come?"
"Well..." Chae thought a little. "Okay. Math is way too boring for me."
"Let's go."
*~*~*
JinHwan sighed as he tried to work through his math problems. He couldn't remember how to do them and wished Chae was there to help him. But for some reason, she wasn't in class. JinHwan knew she was at school earlier because he gave her a ride that morning. He figured she might've called home sick or something.
"JinHwan?" Rebekka whispered from the seat next to him.
"Ne." he didn't look up from his math.
"You're so sweet." he looked up at her and she rewarded him with a smile.
"Why am I sweet?" he knew she was getting at something.
"Oh, no reason. You just are." Rebekka went back to her math.
JinHwan shook his head. "Girls." he muttered. He noticed something on the floor and picked it up. It was a note. He carefully read the note and stuck it back into Rebekka's bag without her noticing. After all, it was from her secret admirer. JinHwan's faced darkened and he made up his mind to go to the club Friday night and see exactly who this secret admirer was.
*~*~*
"This was a great idea, Shina." Danny playfully tickled her. They were in Teddy's car kissing up a storm.
"Thanks, but cutting class was your idea, remember?" she nibbled on his earlobe.
Danny couldn't reply because Shina had already captured his mouth with hers. It was a rainy day, so no one would notice them making out in the backseat of the car.
"What the hell?" Danny suddenly broke away. "Duck." he wedged himself to the floor of the car behind the backseat and brought Shina down with him. Just then the door to the front passenger's side opened and Chae got in. A few seconds later Teddy got in.
"So where do you wanna go?" Teddy started the car. Shina gasped. Chae was cutting school? It was amazing. Danny tried to be very quiet and barely kept himself from sneezing. He knew that if Teddy found them in his car, he would be furious. Luckily Teddy or Chae couldn't see them from the front seat.
"I don't know. Anywhere is better than math." Chae laughed.
"Hey, do you wanna just drive around for awhile?" Teddy asked. Danny and Shina prayed that they wouldn't, because then they would be stuck in the car forever.
"Sure."
Chae and Teddy drove around the city talking the whole time, apparently unaware of Danny and Shina huddled on the floor.
"You know what?" Shina asked in a low voice.
"Be quiet or we'll get caught!" Danny held a finger up to her mouth to hush her.
"Look." Danny looked in the direction where Shina was pointing. He could see his shirt draped over the backseat. Not just that, either. Shina's was up there right next to his.
Danny panicked. He had to try to get the clothes down before Teddy or Chae saw them. He slowly reached up for the shirts, but just then, Teddy suddenly stopped at a traffic light.
"Damn, Teddy needs to learn how to drive!" Danny silently thought in his head. He gave up after another attempt because the shirts were out of reach. There was no way for him to get them without being seen.
Danny and Shina were in a bad mood for the rest of the drive since their fun was ruined and they were probably going to get caught.
Teddy pulled back into the school parking lot and stopped. He and Chae were silent for a few minutes. Shina and Danny tried their best to hold their breaths since it was so quiet.
"Well, Chae. It was fun skipping with ya." Teddy joked.
"Ne, let's do it again sometime." They both laughed.
"Okay." Teddy called out, he and Chae turning in their seats. "You can come out now."
Danny and Shina quietly gasped.
"Danny and Shina, I know you two are back there." Teddy continued.
"Yeah, it's not like we didn't see the shirts." Chae laughed.
"Or how steamy the windows were when we first got in." Teddy tried not to laugh. This was something he could definitely use to blackmail Danny with in the future.
Two heads slowly came up off the floor. Shina finally realized after a lot of laughter from Chae and Teddy that she didn't have her shirt on. Danny grabbed his too, and both quickly got their stuff and got out of the car.
"Damn, I can't believe they knew we were in there the whole time. Why didn't they just say anything in the first place?" Shina stormed off towards the school.
Danny shook his head with agreement, and looked back at Teddy and Chae laughing hysterically in the car.
"Hey, dongseng!" Teddy yelled rolling down the window. "I hope you enjoyed cutting class!"
Continue
Prologue - Chapter 2
Chapters 6 - 8
