New York City, USA – Seoul, South Korea
~Kim Taeyung
I came all the way here to this rat-infested city to be jerked around by a fake.
Another person, pretending to be someone or something they're not.
"Mr. Jin, did you book my flight back?" I asked my assistant on the phone in Korean.
"Yes. I did." He answered.
"Good, I missed my last flight waiting around for the fake designer."
"It's all taken care of, Young Master Kim"
I hung up the phone and put it in my pocket.
I just wanted to get back; this has been an absolute shit show.
On my way out of the hotel lobby, I bumped into that stupid girl again.
"Mr. Kim, could I get your contact info, maybe we can have dinner if I come and visit Korea someday."
"No. Move." I said curtly, my annoyance seeping through my tone. I pushed passed the young girl. She reached out grabbed hold of my hoodie.
"Don't fucking touch me." I smacked her hand away, "It's disgusting."
She looked like she was about to break out in tears.
I hated touch, unless I initiated it.
And this girl was pretty, but I could tell she was just another social status ladder climber and clout chaser. She tried to cozy up to me when I was in the hotel bar lounge on my phone gaming, waiting for last call to bring my drink before heading retiring to my room for the evening after such a disappointing day.
I had barely arrived on time. And to my surprise when I arrived at my seat. There was a girl sitting in my row.
Jin should have booked the whole row, and by the looks of her clothes, and duffle bag poking out from her seat, she didn't belong here.
Who let this girl in?
"Move, you're in the wrong seat."
"No, this is my seat." She responded with too much confidence for someone I know is lying. I frowned. My mood was souring and the last thing I wanted to do was argue, she needed to leave, I went to get a flight attendant instead.
But to my humiliation, this was her seat. And now I'd be stuck next to another social climber probably. With her cheap clothes.
However, she instantly surprised me by instantly ignoring me. Making no further attempt at conversation.
She watched the flight take off with a sense of childish awe.
Has she ever been in a plane?
Getting a closer look, I noticed she was actually pretty attractive. In that natural foreign girl next door kind of look. She had hair that shined like the night sky. Thick, wavy, which was neatly braided at the back with a white scrunchy. Her lips were peach, full and bow shaped.
She pulled out a book; I couldn't help but notice the title was about coding and computer tech.
Strands of her hair fell over her face, yet she paid them no mind. She just focused on the words her book offered.
There was no way she was seriously interested in reading that. Girls don't care about this stuff, especially ones who look like her.
Was she using her transcripts as a bookmark? That's kind of weird?
'Seoul National University' was written on the transcript.
So… We go to the same school.
She was so engrossed in the book she wasn't paying me any attention. Not even quick glances in my direction. It was like I wasn't even here, like I didn't exist. I've never been ignored.
Which was kind of annoying. Was she playing hard to get?
No one's ever ignored me like this, especially for a book they probably aren't even interested in.
And it actually kind of bothered me.
She's a cute girl, around my age doesn't look like she comes from high social status, and I know I look good, I saw her face when she first saw me, plus everything about me screams money and power, so why isn't she trying to flirt with me, get in my pants, anything?
Could she be gay?
Yet when I tried to talk to her, she spoke to me like I was beneath her. Bothered her even. Usually this would make me mad, and I'd beat the hell out of them.
However, when she did it, it intrigued me. I wanted to keep pushing her buttons.
So, I tried calling her out on her obviously fake her interest in computers to get boys and I guess that really pissed her off because after she practically bit my head off.
When the plane landed, she moved faster than I expected. By the time I got out of the shuttle, she was gone. I knew I'd see her again at luggage claim on the way to arrivals pick up. She was loading the cab just as I caught sight of her.
I left my luggage for my driver and went straight to the cab. I don't know what in my head screamed go after her, but I listened and slid right into her cab beside her.
She looked at me like I was insane.
"We're going to the same place." Was all I said.
She looked appalled, which made me chuckle internally.
"Excuse me, but you can get the hell out of my cab." She snapped back. I just ignored her and handed the cab driver a bunch of cash.
"Seouldaehaggyolo gaseyo" (Take us to Seoul National University) I told the driver.
He nodded and took off.
"How did you know I was going there?" She asked skeptically.
I glanced over at her, surprised. "You speak Korean?"
"I'm half Korean, so yeah. I speak Korean." She was a feisty little thing; she didn't really hold back.
I liked that. Most girls held in their temper and hid their intentions behind fake smiles and small talk.
Not her.
"You were using your transcripts as a bookmark. That's how I knew you were going to SNU."
"Why the hell are you looking so intensely at my bookmark?" Her question made me stiffen.
Why had I noticed? Usually, things like this I overlook because I don't care.
"Anyone with sharp eyes and half a brain would have noticed that, better keep your information more private if you don't want people to know it." I said trying to cover up my mistake.
"I have both and I wouldn't have cared enough to peep at your book, let alone your bookmark." She almost sounded like she was trying to tease me.
She mumbled 'Stalker' after.
I smirked. How ballsy of her.
I sat silently scrolling my phone.
Every so often I'd look up and she was aimlessly staring out the window.
"So, are you're a student at SNU too?" She asked.
"I am." I answered in a closed ended way. I had emails to read and couldn't afford the distraction.
We hit traffic. Honks were blaring and people were yelling.
She must have rolled down the window to look out of it. I heard someone scream "She's not breathing, call an ambulance!"
In seconds the girl was out of the cab, running towards all the commotion.
I was curious, but I didn't want her to know that, so I held back a moment before following, walking on the other side of the cars towards the streetlight.
And there she was yelling at a man.
There was a girl on the ground, dead, by the looks of her. Or at least knocking on death's door.
What this strange girl did next was really unexpected. She started preforming CPR.
And the way the early morning sun caught her hair. I was mesmerized. Her black hair reflected colors of red and purple as the light shifted between the strands.
I couldn't stop staring.
I watched her bent over doing compressions for, I don't know five minutes at least.
When she yelled excitedly "I got a heartbeat! Simjang-i dugeungeolyeoyo!"
She leaned back and collapsed on the ground. She didn't even care that it was dirty and disgusting.
She just looked relieved.
And.
Her lashes were long, the way the fluttered with they were closed and her eyebrows were sculpted perfectly. Her cheeks looked as soft as her lips.
I felt that urge to mess with her again.
She had so much fire, I just wanted to see how much I could stoke it before it got too big and burned me.
When we pulled up to the school, a part of me hated watching her figure retreat.
I never did catch her name.
But I know how to find out.
I noticed then the way her hips naturally swayed when she walked. Not forced, like other girls. No, it just came naturally to her, her hips were wider, and her ass.
Damn, she had an ass. How did I not notice something that big and nice before?
Now I have to go face my uncle. Get chewed out for ruining a potential partnership.
I had the cab drop me off, around the other side of campus at the tech building to go to my uncle's lab.
That girls face and her irritated frown kept finding its way back into my mind.
I'm in a deep shit.
But so was she… She just didn't know it.
She would be mine.