Chapter Six: The Hidden Devil vs. the Femme Fatale; the Innocent Boy vs. the Forbidden Fruit

Junsu cradled his cell phone in his hand with a question pestering his mind. Should he call her or should he wait for her to call him? 

It was the afternoon when the restaurant would close and then prepare for dinner service. This break usually allowed Junsu to visit an Internet café, yet he wasn’t in the mood for games today. His hands were so fidgety that he could barely hold onto the trays. He could hardly walk properly, crashing into tables here and there.

He couldn’t help sighing every now and then. After his girlfriend had confessed to him, he had never called her once nor had she ever called him. Now, this situation made him shudder. What if she was simply joking about their relationship? What if she was too embarrassed to call him?  
  
He gripped his phone even tighter and sputtered, “Argh!”

“Son,” his father informed, “I’m not expecting to pay for a new phone.” 


 
Since Junsu worked for his father, his father had veto power over Junsu’s finances. Junsu needed to shadow his father before prevailing as the restaurant owner. His father had already agreed that Junsu would inherit the family business; he just needed to learn how to manage a business well, which was easier said than done. 

But . . . who had time to care about finances when he was having relationship problems? It wasn’t as if he could consult his buddies. They would probably tease him and joke about his masculinity. He could already imagine Changmin nudging him painfully in the ribs while stating, “Just be a man. Put some substance to those balls of yours.”

Usually, Junsu didn’t even have to seek advice. He used to know exactly what to do, handling problems so quickly that the boys had to remind him that sometimes, there were other solutions. Today, though, he was bombarded by a combination of indecisive thoughts and consequences. All the wrong things were streaming in his mind. A choice could potentially lead to a mistake, but waiting for a decision made was even worse.

“Son, just call whoever it is you need to call. I don’t want you breaking any plates later,” his father chimed and suddenly, all sense of responsibility had dissipated. He could always blame his father in the end. Ha.

Junsu grinned. “All right. I’ll call.”  

He swiftly dialed her number. He had already memorized it so well that only his fingers needed to move while his brain concentrated on what to say.

 He waited for a few rings until a charming voice answered, “Hello?”

“H-h-hi, it’s me, J-j-juice,” he blurted. Juice? What was he thinking? He used his own palm to whack the top of his forehead to remind himself to remain calm.

Sadly, he would have continued blurting nonsense had his girlfriend not nicely corrected, “Junsu?” 

His palm now touched both of his cheeks. Sweltering. Warm. His mind paced when he realized that he was blushing just because of a phone call. “Yes, ugh . . . I just called.” Junsu started to choke on his own saliva. Why were there so many things causing him grief, he wondered while gulping down a wad of spit.

Luckily, all of his worries would soon disappear for she added, “I’m glad you called. I . . . I was worried that you weren’t being serious about—“
 
“Oh, no, no, no! I really like you too!” he exclaimed. 

Oh crud. 

What was he even saying? He wasn’t making any sense at all. This wasn’t how he was going to confess to her. 

If only I were like Rhett, then I would be able to say the right things. 

“I like you too,” she interrupted his conflicted thoughts. “I . . . haha . . . like you a lot.”

There was an unexpected pause before he posed, “So, do you want to umm . . . grab a drink, like soda or something?” 

Soda? Really now? What kind of girl would like soda? It should have at least been cake! Cake and sweets! Who wouldn’t be provoked by them? Even Changmin would be lured by cake.

“Sure. Why don’t we meet at my favourite coffee shop this Sunday at 11?”

“Okay! I’ll pick you up from your house! Wait . . . where do you live?” 

She lightheartedly laughed. “I’ll text you my address. So, I’ll see you there then!”

“See you soon,” Junsu managed to squeeze in after she hung up. He could never time matters appropriately, except in games and sports. Those were different issues revolving the world of amusement. Amusement he could do. Relationships he could not do, but . . . he could learn? 

Learning, however, took time, and patience this young grasshopper had not. Even throughout dinner service, Junsu felt uneasy. It wasn’t until his phone vibrated to remind him of a text message did he remember to inhale deep, steady breaths.

I was really happy that you called. I’m not used to being in relationships, so maybe we could text first and then start to call each other once we both feel more comfortable. >_< Fighting! 

His bold grin now plastered on his face as he began to return the message. There needed not to be fear. There only needed to be bravery. Surely, he was brave enough to embark on this love adventure, and he was also certain that she would be with him too, trying.

----------------------

“Sensei.” A taunting voice lingered beside his ear, almost causing Changmin to slap whoever it was. “You’re not allowed to sleep in class.” 

He despised those that badgered him during nap time. Spare blocks for Changmin were not effectively used in the eyes of experienced teachers for he only cared about regaining his energy to deal with his absolutely remarkable students. They were students that yearned for his one look, but he never gave them what they had wanted. He simply snickered, and continued with his lessons. Oh, he also liked to limit office hours, picking the most difficult times for the students to consult him.  

Whoever disturbed him deserved a full-scale attack. No one, not even his mother, dared to disturb his sleep. Changmin now stood up too quickly and felt rather dizzy as he yelled, “One, class is not in session. Two, the door was closed, and should have been locked. Three, you aren’t supposed to use a cell in school. Four, this is my free time and I do what I want when I want!” 

“No need to explode, sensei.” The new teacher helped him hold his weight. “We wouldn’twant to call the police now, would we?”

Changmin crossed his arms and leaned on the wall behind him. “I actually wouldn’t mind,” he  sneered, “because that way, I could file a formal complaint about you.”

“Shim-san,” her fingers slithered from his fingertips to his wrist, “do I sense some hatred in your words?” 

He snatched her hand before it could reach his chest. “I don’t remember permitting you to do that,” Changmin warned. This was as much chivalry as he could hand to a lady . . . or to a bitch.

She licked her lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Rules . . . were meant to be broken.” She chuckled too frivolously. 

Now, this caused him to break out his signature smirk, revealing his vampire-like incisors. He cocked his head forward and whispered ever so nimbly in her ear, “I never knew that was so easy. Is that how you became a teacher?” She then pushed him away, letting his head slam back onto the wall. “Fuck! That bitch!” he cursed while rubbing his injury. Dissension was already in the air, and an excruciating bruise was being born. This was not a good day for Changmin, but then again disturbed naps always meant trouble. 

As Changmin struggled to ease his pain, a quiet, squeaky voice murmured, “Sen-s-sensei?”

Changmin looked ahead. It was the student with the long pig tails. It was a miracle that he even remembered that trait. “Yes?” he retorted.

“The . . . school is having . . . err. . . a carnival in a month, so I was . . . wondering . . . if you could umm . . . be our class’ teacher sponsor?” she stuttered horribly through her sentence, making Changmin question if it was necessary to recommend a speech therapist to her. “S-sen-sensei . . . would . . . j-j-just need to be there for our meetings and . . . approve of our i-i-ideas.”

Perhaps, Changmin felt nice for once, so he concurred, “Sure, I can help out.”

She incessantly bowed. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“I . . . have a condition though.” He never forgot to ensure that he received the best offers. “Your booth can only sell good food, and I have to have access to free food.”

She looked rather stunned at first, but then complied, “Okay, that won’t be a problem!”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem. Changmin would ensure that his side of the bargain would be fulfilled as always. He snickered, remembering how he had pressured Rhett to treat him to dinner just because Changmin had emailed the document that Rhett had forgotten to send to his office.

“Changmin, why are you smiling like a fool?” Ken wondered while passing by Changmin’s classroom.

“I’m not smiling like a fool, idiot,” Changmin snickered, “I’m smiling like a winner, you fool.”