He walked, head bowed down- adjusting his cap. He regretted not telling his former boss, now business partner and close friend that he's coming home earlier than originally planned but he's already here and all he hoped right now is get off this airport as quick as possible without being recognized.
But just as the exit was within sight, he saw from the corner of his eyes some girls beginning to gather and were following him. He had split seconds to make a decision- either he pretended he didn't noticed them and pretended not to be the man they thought he was, or he could make a run for it.
Then, before he could decide- his feet had began to run, well, subconsciously, he might be reliving back the memory of his last same situation, that time he stood his ground and the situation got so out of control, they had to bring the police to the airport. He was trapped for almost two hours amidst the screaming and crying fans.
It was all over the news that same evening. A superstar causing riot and commotion at the airport. What's more upsetting for him was the fact that a couple of his fans had fainted had to be rushed to the hospital. Luckily they were not badly injured. So he's running away.
He hated to have to run away from the fans who had been loyally supporting him all these years but he knew that he will have better times to meet them other than now. A better place in a better and controlled situation. He'd rather have his fans wrote him off than have them hospitalized because of him. At least if they're well, he could win them again with his songs.
He saw a taxi pulled in front of him and someone had just went in- it's now or never. He could hear the noises behind him just a few metres away.
Just as the door's about to be closed, he dashed and went into the taxi.
"Go! Please, go, sir!" He closed the door as the screaming crowd burst out into the open, "sir! Please!!"
And the clearly surprised taxi-driver stepped on the gas, just as the crowd saw him inside the taxi.
He looked back at the dejected looking crowd as the taxi speed away and let out a huge sigh of relief. Then he noticed the other person in the passenger seat.
It was a girl. Hair as black as the night. Tanned skin.
She was looking up at him in disbelief and- dismay? He'd seen a lot of expression on a girl's face before, but he hadn't seen much dismayed look- well, except for his grandmother perhaps, but not on any other girl's.
She didn't know him?
"Hello," He flashed his award winning smile at her, surely she's just faking this dismayed expression on her face.
She understood him quiet well, she had been taking Korean Language Class for 3 years with her friends at the University-that's why they are doing their masters here in the first place. He does look strikingly familiar- and judging from the crowd he'd just ran away from- he's probably an actor or a singer.
She froze in shock when he stepped inside the taxi behind her. Then immediately she noticed everything about him just as he stepped inside the taxi behind her. Tall, lean, fair skinned, very-very good looking and he has a very nice fresh smell. That's what dismayed her even more- the fact that she took his presence in full detail. She had never done that before.
She'd met a lot of good looking men before- none made her feel this peculiar. And she didn't like it - not one bit.
"Sir, could you take me to this address please?" she ignored him completely and hand the address of the rental house her friends were staying to the taxi-driver.
"Ah, this is in Imun-Dong," The middle-aged kind looking taxi-driver smiled and nodded, "Sure, I can take you there miss. I think it will be alright by you- Mr..?"
He blinked, he's just taking in the fact the girl had ignored him, and now it seemed that the taxi-driver doesn't recognized him too?
"No. It's fine by me," He nodded, slightly surprised at the turn of event. He ran away from a crowd of people screaming his name and here he is, sitting with two people who were not paying him much attention. He should be thankful and yet- he's a bit unhappy.
Fame had clearly went up his head- and this God's message that he's still very much a human. He smiled to himself a little. He'd been a little too cocky.
Well, at least, he could relax in this taxi- even with this strange girl. Her voice sounded deeper than most girls, and there' s something about her that's not really 'usual'. He just couldn't put his finger on it. And as a result, he kept glancing at her, time and time again.
She frowned- then she braced herself silently as she turned to look at him straight in the eyes- and even with such preparation she could still feel her breath got caught in her throat.
Nevertheless, she braved on, "Yes?" She asked in her most coolest voice, "what is it, Mr?"
It was very hard to address people in Korean when you don't know their name, or job or when you're not sure whether to address them by their age and that they're not even your acquaintances- so she left the 'Mister' part in English.
He froze- her eyes were as black as her hair. And her voice- the unmistakable perfectly English pronounced word in the end. So that was it! She is not Korean. That's what so strange about her.
"Nothing... Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," he smiled, "you're not from around here, are you?" the question was actually out before he even realized it. Their eyes met and held each other for what seemed like eternity. His eyes were so deep, they seemed to pierce deep into her soul.
'Oh, my God!' Her head screamed down at her heart which was beating madly, pounding on her chest- for the first time ever. She felt as if she'd been struck by thunder and lightning.
'Surely not! It can't be!' she told herself silently, trying to calm her nerves down. No man had ever had this much effect on her before. She had always thought that she's one of the 'cold' ones when it comes to feelings and emotions. The only times when she'd ever felt her emotion really coming to life, was when it concerned her family. She had never had any problem when it comes to boys and men- not until now.
'He's a star..I am merely star-struck', she continued talking to herself in silence, looking away from the man, 'Like everybody else, I do get star-struck syndrome. I am just human..' she repeatedly inhaled and exhaled in her effort to settle herself down.
It had been a few minutes since she turned away but he was still looking at her in daze. Still willing her to turn and look at him with those pair of black eyes.
'Damn!' He said to himself as he's jolted back to reality. Time stops during a stare? That only happens in movies. But, what had just happened then- really seemed close to it. Time had seemed to stop as he looked at her. It was as if, he'd been drowning in her eyes.
He glanced back at her, a small, petite frame- so different from the girls he's been with. He can't really say that she's that pretty but there's something about her that is so appealing he couldn't seem to stop staring.
'What am I doing?' He straightened himself, 'I am probably jet-lagged..I haven't met girl who ignored me, in a very long time.' He said to himself, 'that is why I seem to be interested in this girl.'
"You have not answered me," that was the second time he talked before he realized it, it seemed that even his mind wasn't functioning perfectly as well. And he could almost kicked himself for it, it should be better if he just kept quiet.
"What?" she frowned, blinking up at him, she's having a hard time focusing but she would not let him see it. She must act cool. She must!
"I asked, you're not from around here, are you?"
She looked away, she's not going to make the same mistake of looking at him longer than a few seconds, "No." was her simple answer.
And for some reason- the answer wasn't enough. The fact that she seemed to ignore him still- was also not settling properly with him. He didn't like both her answer and her attitude towards him. And he- Kim Hyun Joong never had to bother about a girl like this before.
The situation inside the taxi seemed to intensified by the minutes. As she continued to do her best to ignore him and he's willing for her to acknowledged him.
But both of them had managed to keep quiet until she reached her destination a taxi-stand just in front of the housing apartments she'd be staying with her friends.
She scrambled out, and the kind taxi-driver fetched her bags from the bonnet. She was about to pay when the man opened the window and peered out.
"I will pay for her,"
She looked at him in surprised, "no," she said, "I will pay for myself."
" I said I will pay." he raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if he's angry at her or something, "This is your taxi..I jumped in..And I want to thank you."
" No," She shook her head, she's already standing out, she's not that intimated by him from this distance, "This is a public transport. It is not mine, so no need to thank me. I will pay for myself. Thank you," and she gave to the- then openly confused taxi-driver, her taxi fare.
"Thank you very much," She bowed down to the taxi-driver, "Bye."
She bowed down a little to the man inside the taxi without looking at him and walked away. She walked calmly and slowly, when all she wanted to do then was run.
"Now, where to, sir?" the taxi-driver asked him, making him realized that he'd been staring at her back without blinking.
'What am I doing?' Again he asked himself that question.
He gave his address then he looked back outside the window. His heart fell- she had disappeared.
As the taxi speed away, he find himself, thinking about her black eyes and the 'torn' feelings he had when he saw her walked away. He felt his hands clenching. He might never meet her again after this- his heart sank even more.
What is this? What had just happened?
It felt as if he'd just been involved in a collision.
No comments:
Post a Comment