Of Prom and Madness (2/2)
of prom and madness
ft: krystal/kai, yunho/boa, taemin/sulli
pg-15 (bc of some vulgarity), 11.3k words, crack!highschoolau
~in which freshman jung soojung is on her solo crack mission to get herself invited to prom.
(part one)
--
Homework:
English: as if
History: please
Biology: don’t know
Chemistry: don’t care
Advance Maths: why am i even in this class???????????????????
--
After the slight revelation that day, there is no escape for Soojung anymore as evidences begin to pile up in her eyes.
It is as though a light bulb has been switched in her mind and the switch is stuck on the on button. Because no matter how much Soojung tries not to be too aware of her surroundings, the more she actually sees what and why Song Qian, Donghae and Siwon are whispering about all this while.
Unbelievable. Soojung shakes her head for the umpteen time as she stares from her seat at the corner of the room. This is worse than a Korean drama.
As Song Qian walks past her, Soojung latches a grip onto her arm and pulls her closer. “Help.” She pleads in the most pitiful tone she could muster. At first, Song Qian doesn’t know what the maknae is meaning, but when she follows her line of vision, she chuckles softly. “You’ll get used to it. Trust me.”
“No, you don’t understand!” Soojung hisses in the lowest tone as possible. “I absolutely do not mind open skinships and flirtings, but that--” She gingerly points at the two seniors sitting on the council couch, deep in discussion over something Soojung doesn’t even want to know. “--I just cannot handle!”
Song Qian fights the urge to laugh. “Being oblivious to their own feelings is the absolute worst, isn’t it? We call that the best friend syndrome. There’s no getting out from that, ever.”
“I never know my cousin is this blind.” Soojung flatly whispers back, completely forgotten her given task to sort out the table numbers for prom. “I mean I know he’s pretty dumb when it comes to girls but...but???” She jabs her fingers repeatedly at Boa’s direction. “Is he a bat???”
“The thing is, Boa has never admitted it herself.” Song Qian tsks in disapprovement. “We’ve tried to get her to, a few times, but our attempts were futile. She’s pretty stubborn in this aspect.”
Soojung shudders. “This is exactly why they’re worse than a korean drama. Annoyingly and visually worse.” She pauses before swooning slightly. “But god damn they’re so cute together.”
“Ahoy! Aboard the ship.” Song Qian jokes, before crossing her arms together. “Don’t you have a best guy friend too? Kim Jongin, right?”
Soojung quirks an eyebrow. “What? Him? You mean, are you suggesting that me and him--” she points at herself before pointing at Yunho and Boa again. “--like them? No! No, no no.”
Snorting, Song Qian doesn’t back down. “I’ve heard that an awful amount of times already, you know.”
“Oh come on, you haven’t seen the way I act around Jongin. I punch and kick and slap him, I call him names. I definitely don’t see him in that sense.”
Song Qian is now looking at her nails, nodding absentmindedly. “Sure. Okay. Guess who does that as well?”
Soojung could feel the sudden heat rising in her cheeks as she promptly stands up. “I’m going to the washroom.”
“That sounds awfully familiar too.”
Ignoring Song Qian’s teasing, Soojung leaves the room, hoping that what the former has said had not activated another switch in her mind. The last thing she want is to be caught in the same situation as her cousin brother.
That’s crazy, he’s my best guy friend! Soojung shakes her head rapidly, trying to get the thoughts out from her mind. Hmm, wait, where have I heard that sentence before?
--
It is a month later when Soojung finally sees her sister’s point about how she is totally unfit to be a member of the student council.
I mean, who the hell stays after school until 5 in the evening to sort out paperworks and all those other boring stuffs like the student’s co-curricular reviews?
Soojung hasn’t been talking to Jinri nor Jongin in days, given how busy she is with student council. When she finally collapses on the bed one evening and dials her best friend’s number, it is then that Soojung realizes just how much she needs to update Jinri regarding her life and to hear more of Jinri’s dates with Taemin.
The conversation somehow shifts from that to buying new clothes online to Soojung’s latest personal conflict regarding her current situation with prom.
She doesn’t want to admit out loud, but Soojung has been feeling reaaallllyyyy guilty lately. And obviously, from the secret stares that Siwon and Donghae (even Seohyun) and sometimes Song Qian would give to her whenever the topic of prom came up in the student council room, Soojung has a feeling no one is supporting her this time.
“The worst part about this is that Boa is being super nice over Yunho taking me to prom. She laughs at all my jokes, brings drinks for me and lends me her pen when mine ran out of ink. She’s genuinely nice.” Soojung continues to whine to Jinri on the other line. “I wouldn’t be feeling so guilty if it isn’t because she’s so darn stupidly nice like what the heck, why can’t she be bitchier--”
Jinri bit her lower lip; Soojung has been repeating the same thing over and over for the past fifteen minutes. “Soojung, I--”
“--instead of coming over excitedly and telling me there is a sale over at Macy’s and all prom dresses are half price off LIKE WHO IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND WOULD DO THAT???”
“Soojung--”
“And to top that, she offered to follow me to help choose my prom dress because Sooyeon had to freaking bail on me the last minute, while you were away dating your precious Taemin and no one else could follow. And I actually, for the love of all things sweet, actually agreed. What was wrong with me???”
“Okay, that--”
“And the other day, when I was waiting for Yunho on the only damn day we didn’t have a student council thing to do, she came over and told me that Yunho would be late and explained everything to me in her usual pleasant demeanor like WHY doesn’t she hate me yet, Jinri? Why is she still smiling at me whenever she sees me? If I were her I would hate me for stealing my prom date away. Why is she so weird?”
“...”
“Jinri? Are you there? Why are you so quiet?”
Jinri swears that if it isn’t because Soojung is her sworn best friend forever and she’s been there through thick and thin with her, she would have reached into the phone and strangle her.
“Soojung, if you feel so uncomfortable about this, why don’t you just not go to prom?” Jinri nervously lets out what she has been thinking throughout this conversation. There is a brief silence on the other line before Soojung heaves a loud sigh.
“Prom is next week, Jinri. There’s the dress factor to think about, the shoes--”
Jinri sighs as well. “Just admit that you don’t want to give your prom pass up.”
“T-that is not true!” Soojung raises her voice, then lowers it again. “Okay, maybe half of it is true.”
“Then stop thinking about it anymore!”
Soojung groans. “Right, you’re right.”
“Hey Soojung, can I call you back later? The Sound of Music is on TV at the moment and I want to watch it.”
“What? Again? Haven’t you watched that movie for at least twenty times already?”
“It’s a classic, OK. Julie Andrews is amazing and the songs are--”
“Alright, fine. Go, go.” Soojung sighs again, and on cue, she could hear the faint singing of how do you solve a problem like Maria? in the background of Jinri’s line.
Right now, Soojung groans to herself just as Jinri hangs up, my problem is most definitely not Maria.
--
“Oh no, we have a problem.”
Song Qian’s loud and heavy sigh is enough for Donghae and Soojung to hold their breaths. As it is free period for the two seniors, they have decide to sort out and count the nomination votings for Prom King and Queen.
“What is it?” Soojung asks, wide-eyed. She has no idea how Mrs. Kim, her biology teacher, had agreed to excuse her from class that morning, but either way, she very much prefers to count nomination votes than dissect a dead rat.
“There are five candidates up for Prom Queen, right?” Song Qian asks and Soojung nods. Donghae glances at the paper she is holding, a sudden grin spreading on his face. “Wait, how is this a problem? This is great news!”
“What is it?” Soojung repeats patiently, slightly confused at the two contrasting reactions from the two seniors in front of her.
“Our VP is nominated for Prom Queen.” Song Qian says in a rather nervous tone, handing the tally paper she is holding to Soojung.
Soojung scans through the list of nominations. Amazing how much the student body trusts them with this, Soojung quietly thinks to herself, if I am the one in charge, I would have removed a few nominations by now.
Hah. Jokes. I would never.
Unless if it’s someone I hate. Or a bitch. Or someone plain annoying. Actually maybe I…
“The problem,” Song Qian shakes her head a few times. “is that our VP isn’t going to attend prom.”
Soojung freezes in her position, her heart begins to sink in realization. Oh nooooo.
“And the thing is, there is a high possibility that she will be crowned Prom Queen. That’s what you’d call as the student council popularity.” Song Qian further explains while Donghae speaks up.
“So can’t we use this as an excuse to legitly force her into going?”
Song Qian rolls her eyes. “Do you honestly think it is that simple?”
“W-why wouldn’t it be that simple?” Soojung asks nervously. “She can still buy a ticket since she’s a senior, right?”
“If we use this excuse to get Boa to go to prom, she’ll one hundred percent laugh it off and say it doesn’t matter, because eventually if the candidate doesn’t show up during prom, she’ll be crossed off the list.”
“Can’t you guys try to convince her into going alone…” Soojung gives a dry laugh, and earns a pointed look from Song Qian. She quickly looks down on the ground.
“No one wants to go to a formal dance alone, Soojung. It’s absolute horrible timing too, because two seniors have asked her before but she turned them down since she thought...”
Here it comes again.
As if on cue, both Donghae and Song Qian are now looking at her, and deep down, Soojung wishes she doesn’t know the reason why.
--
Homework:
English: screwed
History: screwed
Biology: i am
Chemistry: so so so
Advance Maths: SCREWED
--
A day before prom, Soojung finally gives in to her conscience.
There is no way she could attend prom with Yunho now that she knows way too much information about his nonexistent-but-could-exist love life.
For the fun of it though, she decides not to tell anyone except Jinri about what she is about to do. And of course, for her plan to work, she has to eventually let Boa know, as well.
“Are you sure you want this?” Jinri asks again in final confirmation, heaving the bag onto her shoulder as they step onto the porch of Boa’s house. “Prom is just a day away and…”
“Hush, child.” Soojung stops Jinri from saying anything else. “Do not waver my decision. This is for the greater good.”
Jinri rolls her eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
Ignoring her best friend, Soojung rings the doorbell and waits patiently for someone to answer the door--preferably Boa herself. It’s a Sunday, anyway, she should be at home, right? Soojung rings the doorbell again, becoming anxious suddenly.
“Oh god if she doesn’t answer the door I’m gonna bail.” She mumbles. “Damn it, all I wanted in my life is to go to prom, but God forbid this from happening--”
“What on earth are you mumbling?” Jinri knits her eyebrows together as Soojung shakes her head and rings the doorbell again. “Nothing. Why isn’t anyone answering the door???”
“Um...has it ever occurred to you that perhaps she has morning mass to attend?” Jinri asks in a soft tone, slightly nervous for what Soojung would react next.
“Shit. No!” Soojung curses immediately, realizing that Jinri may be right.
“No cursing on Sunday, God’s watching.”
“Urghhhh!” Soojung smacks her palm onto her forehead twice. “It has to be now or never, Jinri. If I walk away now, I won’t be coming back! Wait, is this God’s way of telling me that it’s alright to go to prom? That I’m not stealing anything from anyone and that it’s perfectly OK that I--”
The door swings open suddenly, revealing a sleepy and confused Boa. “Soojung? What’s going on?”
Soojung nearly shrieks in shock at the sudden interruption. “H-hi, Boa. Umm...you didn’t go to mass today!”
Boa stares on, bearing an expression that Jinri could perceive as is this girl mad or is she plain high? Jinri fights the urge to giggle. “I attend evening mass on Saturdays.” She says slowly before smiling. “Can I help you with anything? Is this student council related? I’m sorry I look so messy. You should have called me or texted me beforehand, I only just woke up ten minutes ago.”
“I-I…” Soojung begins to stammer, looking at Jinri for help. “I’m here to tell you something very important.”
“Do you want to come inside?” Boa interrupts just before Soojung could blurt out what has been clinging onto her throat for days. She quickly shakes her head.
“Before that, I need to explain that Jinri here,” Soojung gestures at her friend beside her as she and Boa both exchange smiles at each other. “her mother is a dressmaker, which means that naturally, Jinri has the basic knowledge of measuring a person’s size for a dress--”
Alarmed at the extremely random detail, Boa blinks a few times, wondering if she has heard right.
Jinri elbows Soojung’s ribs so that she would stop talking. “I’m sorry, Soojung is always like this, she has a few loose screws in her head but her intentions are good.” Jinri apologizes at the silent older student in front of them. “What Soojung is trying to tell you, is that she is sorry for taking up your place in prom, and because she cannot live with the guilt forever, Soojung has decided to return that place to its rightful owner. Unnie, you.”
Soojung bobs her head up and down. She has managed to calm down, putting on a smile as she waits for Boa’s reaction.
“I...don’t quite understand.” Boa finally speaks after a moment of silence, her face as blank as a piece of paper.
Soojung mentally screams.
“You don’t have to understand anything, unnie. Just stand still and let me take your measurements so I can ask my mom to alter the prom dress. It should be done by tomorrow night.”
“What?” Eyes widening, Boa glances at Soojung again as Jinri steps forward and takes a measurement tape from her bag. “Soojung, what’s going on?”
Soojung forces a meek smile on her face. “I’m only doing the right thing.”
Jinri apologizes softly before putting the measurement tape around Boa’s waist. Soojung figures that if it isn’t because she’s Yunho’s cousin sister and Jinri is the best friend, Boa would have kicked them both out from her house.
“What right thing? Soojung?”
“Come over to my house tomorrow after school. There’s a hair and makeup artist coming over to do Sooyeon’s hair and makeup and supposedly mine, too.” Soojung continues on without exactly answering the VP’s question. “The dress should be ready by then because Jinri’s mom is very efficient, so not to worry. What size of shoes do you wear?”
“Five?”
“Amazing, we wear the same shoe size. High heels nailed down as well. What else?”
“Soojung!” Boa grabs Soojung’s shoulders and shakes her slightly. “Are you alright? Why on earth are you doing this?”
Jinri, by then, has already finished taking the required measurements. She exchanges a glance at her best friend as Soojung pauses, before finally putting on a much genuine smile as she too, places her hands on Boa’s shoulders.
“Because I’m not the one in love with my cousin brother.”
--
Homework:
English: summarize the passage in pg 70 into 50 words.
History: write an essay on Sejong The Great.
Biology: notes on chapter 6
Chemistry: rewrite paper on salts
Advance Maths: hah, Taemin says not to worry about it
--
“Are you sure about this?” Boa asks for the umpteen time and Soojung sighs for the umpteen time. “Your hair and makeup are done, you’re 10 seconds away from seeing your prom dress. Yes, of course I’m sure about this.”
“Sorry,” Boa apologizes sheepishly as Jinri reappears in Soojung’s room with a big black bag. “I’m just...I can’t exactly grasp it yet.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Soojung shakes her head as well. I ought to be given a medal for this sacrifice.
“Wait till you see the dress! It’s actually the same dress you picked for Soojung back then, but it’s been altered to fit you and I think you’d love it.” Jinri gushes continuously, much to Soojung’s annoyance. Jinri had not shown equal enthusiasm when it was Soojung who would be going to prom.
“You two go on about it, I’ll head down and wait for Yunho to arrive.” Soojung excuses herself from her room, jumping two steps down the stairs per time until her feet hit the bottom floor. She searches for her sister, who by now, should be ready and waiting for Donghae’s arrival.
“Hey.” Sooyeon waves at her sister from the living room, and Soojung smiles at how beautiful her sister looks in the sleeveless maxi mint blue dress. “Aww, look at my sister all dressed up and so feminine looking.”
Sooyeon narrows her eyes immediately. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing.” Soojung grins, fixing Sooyeon’s hair a little before glancing outside from their window. “When is Donghae coming?”
“In 5 minutes, I suppose.” Sooyeon shrugs calmly. Soojung feels a slight pang of jealousy. “You could at least try and be more excited?”
“Sorry.” Her sister apologizes and smiles. “What you did is great, Soojung. I’m proud of you.”
Soojung waves her hand in the air. “It’s no big deal. It’s just prom. I’ll be going to it in a few more years, anyway. Or next year, if I find a senior boyfriend by then.”
“Yunho doesn’t know about it, does he?”
“Nope.” Soojung pops the ‘p’, slightly proud to have kept the secret. “I am dying to see his reaction. He’s a real slow brainer, for someone with a 4.0 GPA.”
Sooyeon laughs loudly, much to Soojung’s shock and amusement. “Please don’t laugh like that in front of Donghae. He’ll get scared of you and run away.” She pauses, placing a finger on her chin. “Hey, that actually rhymes. Maybe I should become a poet, instead.”
Before Sooyeon could snap a reply or smack Soojung, a black limousine stops in front of their house. “Oh, Donghae’s here!” Soojung squeals, excited as she rushes towards the door to welcome him.
Donghae is clearly surprised when Soojung opens the door, and sees that the younger female is still wearing a tank top and jeans. Sooyeon exchanges a wink with her sister and pulls Donghae away before he could ask any questions. “I’ll explain everything in the limo.” She says to her date as they disappear inside the limousine.
“Have funnnn!” Soojung calls out, waving goodbye as she watches Sooyeon and Donghae’s limo driving off. Before she could return inside however, another limousine pulls up in front of her house.
“JINRI, HE’S HERE!” Soojung screams from the bottom of the stairs before rushing to the front door again. It’s a pity her parents aren’t around to witness this historical moment between their nephew and his would be future girlfriend.
If Donghae had been surprised earlier, Yunho expression is an understatement. The moment he steps out from the limo, he has already seen Soojung waiting for him in ordinary clothes.
“Wait, why aren’t you dressed?” Yunho asks immediately within earshot, clearly confused with his cousin staring back at him innocently. “I’m wearing these to prom.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“Soojung…”
Just then, Jinri screams from the top of the stairs. “She’s ready! She’s ready! She’s coming down now!”
The grin on Soojung’s face turns wider. “Oh, you’re going to love this.”
“Love what? Who’s coming down?”
Soojung doesn’t reply, because at that moment, Boa descends from the stairs slowly. Her long hair is styled and swept to the side, the tube lavender chiffon dress she had picked for Soojung now altered to fit her perfectly.
Frankly speaking, Soojung could feel pride welling up inside her, the only explanation I would accept if Yunho doesn’t fall in love with Boa after seeing her all dressed up like this and not in her usual sweatpants is that he’s gay.
Soojung looks back and forth from Yunho to Boa, the grin on her face still as wide. By now, they’ve both meet each other’s eyes, and from the looks of it, Yunho and Boa are suddenly very, very nervous.
“Hi, can you say something?” Soojung pokes her cousin’s shoulder as Yunho snaps his attention back at her. “Um...I...don’t know what to say.”
Soojung frowns. No way is he going to ruin my sacrifice by being the same oblivious fool--
“You look beautiful.” Yunho finally manages to form a coherent sentence as his attention is focused back onto Boa. “I mean, not that you aren’t before this, just that...I’m...wow.”
The same tinge of pink Soojung has spotted for a long time before this day appears on Boa’s cheeks. “Thank you. You look handsome in a tux.”
Soojung cringes, her fingers curling. “Yay, you’re not gay, but this is too cheesy for me so please, go, both of you, go have fun, go and finally discover love.” She says loudly, pushing Yunho out from the house and gesturing Boa to follow him. “Jung Yunho, you owe me three meals if this works out! And six meals if this doesn’t work out!”
Yunho merely flashes a smile at his cousin before holding out a hand to escort his date into the limo.
Once they are gone, Soojung collapses into the living room couch with Jinri hovering near her. “Did you take pictures of them before they left?”
“Why bother, they’d take hundreds of pictures themselves to commemorate this special day.”
Then slowly, Soojung leans back and closes her eyes, another smile gracing her face. All of a sudden, she could feel all burdens lifted from her shoulders. “Jinnnriiii, switch on the TV please.”
Jinri does as she is told, a sudden bright smile appears on her face as she switches the channel and the sudden singing of the hills are alive, with the sound of music, blasts loudly from the speakers.
Soojung snaps her eyes open immediately. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Jinri spreads her arms widely, mimicking Julie Andrews on TV. Soojung stares at her incredulously. “Fuck, I don’t care if the hills are alive, Jinri, SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT CHANNEL!”
“The hills fill my heeaaarrttt, with the sound of music--” Jinri sings loudly in her accented English, ignoring Soojung as the latter leaps up from the couch. Jinri gingerly increases the volume as Soojung scowls at her.
“THE HILL DOESN’T FILL MY HEART, CHOI JINRI, I’M GOING TO MY ROOM.”
--
Thirty minutes after prom has started, (and an hour since Jinri has started watching The Sound of Music again) Soojung makes her way across the street and towards Jongin’s house. After ringing the doorbell, she taps her feet impatiently on the ground, glancing at her watch and noting that by now, the speeches for prom would have been over.
Darn it, stop thinking about prom.
“Soojung-ah?” Jongin’s mother appears on the door as Soojung immediately puts on a smile. “Are you looking for Jongin? I’ll call him for you.”
“Great. Thanks, Mrs. Kim. I’ll wait for him outside.”
Three minutes later, Jongin appears, his face masks with absolute confusion when he spots Soojung yawning in his garden. “Soojung? What are you doing here? Isn’t tonight prom night?”
“Oh hey, Jongin.” She gestures him forward. “Jinri is high on Julie Andrews, so let’s go grab some ice-cream.”
“Um, Soojung? You haven’t answered my question.”
Soojung groans. “Long story short, I decided not to go, alright? I gave my spot to Boa instead. It’s weird to go as Yunho’s date, anyway.”
Jongin looks as though someone has just punched him in the gut.
“What? Why are you so surprised?”
Suddenly, Jongin bursts into laughter. It takes him a while to stop laughing, and Soojung has half a mind to walk away. “Fuck, I can’t believe this.”
“What can’t you believe?” Soojung frowns. “Come on, I’m not that heartless, you should see the look Yunho had given to Boa earlier, you would have praised me if you did.”
“Soojung. Wait here, alright?” Jongin says in a sudden stern tone that has Soojung clamp her mouth shut.
Jongin rushes back into his house and returns five minutes later. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t going to prom?” He asks, his expression mixed that Soojung couldn’t quite pinpoint what he is thinking at the moment.
“Dude, since when do you care about prom and if I’m attending it or not?”
“Since two months ago, when I freaking got the prom tickets for you.” Frustrated, Jongin nearly hisses his reply as he dangles an envelope in the air. “During the auction? If you remember?”
There is a pause as Soojung’s eyes widen, her jaw dropping in shock as she stares at the envelope in Jongin’s hands.
“Um, are you okay?” Jongin lowers his tone in concern as Soojung continues to stare at him without blinking, mouth forming a slight ‘o’. “Soojung?” He waves a hand in front of Soojung’s face.
On cue, Soojung snaps back into reality and lands a punch on Jongin’s shoulder. “KIM JONGIN, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK???????????????”
“OW!” Jongin yells, moving backwards and Soojung moving forward to hit him repeatedly. “Stop hitting me you crazy woman!”
“ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT ALL ALONG YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BOUGHT THOSE TICKETS AND NOT SEULGI????????”
Still trying to avoid her punches, Jongin raises his voice as well. “I asked Seulgi to buy them for me! She was helping me, you idiot.”
“NO, YOU’RE THE IDIOT. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME???????”
Jongin catches Soojung’s hands in midair. “Idiot, I wanted to surprise you! It was supposed to be an early birthday present. But then you went ahead and got yourself a date before I could reveal it to you.”
Soojung could feel her heart hammering beneath her chest from all the screaming she has done. She breathes in and out slowly, calming herself as she shakes her head a few times. “Okay. It’s okay, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter.”
“I’m sorry.” Jongin apologizes before glancing at his watch. The sight of his crestfallen best friend made him feel guilty all of a sudden, even though this could have been avoided if Soojung had told him about her plan.
Still grabbing onto her hands, Jongin pulls her suddenly to his front gate. “It’s not too late, if we rush there now--”
“How?” Soojung could only sigh.
Jongin grins slightly. “We ride.”
--
By the time Soojung reaches the school gym with Jongin, she is no longer disappointed or unhappy with the sudden turn of event. Rather, when she got off Jongin’s bicycle, she couldn’t stop laughing.
Jongin catches his breath before he too, got off the bicycle. He had pedalled as fast as he could, hoping that Soojung might still be granted access into prom, since legitimately they have tickets for it.
Except that Soojung is still laughing and clutching her belly, and Jongin quirks an eyebrow. “Why are you laughing? Shouldn’t you be running inside and checking if the--”
“Oh Jongin.” She wipes the tears away from her eyes due to excessive laughing. “This is so funny. Others arrived in limos or fancy cars, and we arrived on a mountain bike.”
“Nevermind that, go and--”
“Jongin.” Soojung grabs her best friend’s arm and tugs him away from the building. “It doesn’t matter anymore, really.”
“What? But you were so desperate, totally obsessed with prom and how attending it during your freshman year is an absolute must…” Jongin is now even more confused than before.
Soojung chuckles again, stopping in her tracks. “It’s not like I won’t have the chance to do so in the next few years. Chill.”
“You’re asking me to chill? Are you serious?” It is Jongin’s turn for his jaw to drop open. “Duuuude, isn’t prom the mother of all dances? Isn’t attending prom during freshman year an accomplishment, a once in a lifetime opportunity and that you’ll get worshipped after that?”
“Wow, you were actually listening back then. I’m proud.” Soojung grins again.
“You’re crazy.” Jongin concludes, shaking his head as he walks towards the side of the building. “But either way, come here.”
As they got nearer to the building, they could hear the upbeat song playing from inside the gym. “Looks like they haven’t reached the slow dancing part yet.” Soojung says as Jongin settles himself onto the patch of grass.
“Since we’re here, might as well listen to the music.” Jongin shakes his head again as Soojung sits down beside him. “I still can’t believe you let that crazy idea of yours go.”
“Hey, you went along with it didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah. Only because I wanted you to be happy!”
Soojung smiles. “Thanks, Jongin. I really appreciate it.”
“Ugh, but you didn’t even get to go.” Jongin sighs, pulling out the grass around his radius in frustration. “This sucks.”
“Well technically, you didn’t get to go too, because I was planning on asking you to tag along if I’ve gotten the tickets from the auction.” Soojung shrugs, lying down on the grass and yawning.
Jongin couldn’t hide the grin on his face. “Aw, you were going to ask me?”
“Yeah.” Soojung replies, looking at the night sky and then at Jongin’s back. “But it’s okay, prom is boring anyway. You take photos, eat and drink, then you dance all night. Boring.”
“Says the person who had been obsessed about attending it.” Jongin scoffs and Soojung hits a knee onto his side. “Shut up, Jongin.”
He snickers, but says nothing else. Five minutes later, Jongin stands up and holds a hand out. Soojung peers at him in curiosity, but notes the sudden slow music filling the air. “Um...since we’re here, I don’t know...should we dance?”
It is Soojung’s turn to scoff. “Is this how you ask a girl to dance with you? Try again, Jongin.”
Flustered, Jongin rubs the back of his neck before clearing his throat. He holds out his hand again. “Jung Soojung, can I have this dance?”
Grinning, Soojung takes his hand and he pulls her upright again. “Shucks, when did you become such a romantist?”
As Soojung stands, still holding onto Jongin’s hand, she suddenly realizes just how alarmingly close they are. She covers her sudden shyness with a cough, turning away when she feels Jongin’s hand on her waist.
“Gee, you’re fat.”
That is enough for Soojung to look back at him, eyes narrowing as she smacks the back of his head. “Say that again!”
Jongin merely laughs. “Just joking. You’re beautiful.”
Oh no. Soojung could feel her cheeks heating up. Oh nooooooooooo.
She keeps quiet, letting Jongin take the lead as they sway to the soft beats of the music. They are quiet for a minute, but Jongin breaks the silence with a chuckle.
“What would people think if they see us here, in our ordinary clothes and dancing to Ed Sheeran’s song?”
Soojung wants to laugh at that statement, but finds it very hard to especially since Jongin has pulled her closer into his embrace. She could faintly hear Song Qian’s words ringing repeatedly in her head, and Soojung has half the mind to storm into the school gym, find her, and strangle her for activating that switch in her mind.
“Hey Jongin, have you ever heard of a syndrome called the best friend syndrome?” Soojung asks out of curiosity, wondering if Jongin is thinking the same or if it is only her...
“Yeah, I did. Apparently it’s a thing now in school.” Jongin admits, his eyes not quite looking at hers. Silence once again engulfs them when suddenly, the music stops and Jongin halts his movements as well.
He removes his hands from Soojung’s waist and stands back, even though another slow song has started playing from the gym.
“So, what do you plan on doing now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You aren’t going to go crazy over the Homecoming dance, right?”
Soojung pauses, thinking hard. Two seconds after, she eases her expression and smiles. “You know what? I’m way past the formal dances for our school.”
Jongin lights up. He definitely doesn’t want to see Soojung going crazy over another dance again. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, and you know what, next year, I’m going to start my life anew. I'm a changed leaf now.” Soojung suddenly announces in a tone filled with determination. “I’m going to change my life, and change the lives of the student body of our school.”
Jongin’s smile fades. “What are you--”
“I have decided to officially run for Student Council!”
“--oh no.”
“Of course, since I’m only a sophomore next year, I won’t be able to be run for President or Vice President, but I may go for the minor roles like...like…” Soojung furrows her eyebrows to think again. What are the positions of that two boys Soojung rarely sees talking in the council room?
Jongin smacks a hand on his head. “Soojung, really???”
“Think about it, Jongin. I’m going to propose cool ideas like a longer time for recess, better lunch menus, a petition to teachers not to give detention over minor mistakes like passing notes in class--”
“But you don’t even like the student council!”
“--Oh ho ho ho, I’m going to be the best student council member ever and everyone is going to worship me for coming up with all those brilliant ideas, and then when I’m in my senior year, I’ll run for president and win by a landslide and everyone is going to love me and haters are going to hate but who cares they’re not worth anything--”
“JUNG SOOJUUUUUUUUUNGGGGGG!”
--
(end)
(bonus drabble)
ft: krystal/kai, yunho/boa, taemin/sulli
pg-15 (bc of some vulgarity), 11.3k words, crack!highschoolau
~in which freshman jung soojung is on her solo crack mission to get herself invited to prom.
(part one)
--
Homework:
English: as if
History: please
Biology: don’t know
Chemistry: don’t care
Advance Maths: why am i even in this class???????????????????
--
After the slight revelation that day, there is no escape for Soojung anymore as evidences begin to pile up in her eyes.
It is as though a light bulb has been switched in her mind and the switch is stuck on the on button. Because no matter how much Soojung tries not to be too aware of her surroundings, the more she actually sees what and why Song Qian, Donghae and Siwon are whispering about all this while.
Unbelievable. Soojung shakes her head for the umpteen time as she stares from her seat at the corner of the room. This is worse than a Korean drama.
As Song Qian walks past her, Soojung latches a grip onto her arm and pulls her closer. “Help.” She pleads in the most pitiful tone she could muster. At first, Song Qian doesn’t know what the maknae is meaning, but when she follows her line of vision, she chuckles softly. “You’ll get used to it. Trust me.”
“No, you don’t understand!” Soojung hisses in the lowest tone as possible. “I absolutely do not mind open skinships and flirtings, but that--” She gingerly points at the two seniors sitting on the council couch, deep in discussion over something Soojung doesn’t even want to know. “--I just cannot handle!”
Song Qian fights the urge to laugh. “Being oblivious to their own feelings is the absolute worst, isn’t it? We call that the best friend syndrome. There’s no getting out from that, ever.”
“I never know my cousin is this blind.” Soojung flatly whispers back, completely forgotten her given task to sort out the table numbers for prom. “I mean I know he’s pretty dumb when it comes to girls but...but???” She jabs her fingers repeatedly at Boa’s direction. “Is he a bat???”
“The thing is, Boa has never admitted it herself.” Song Qian tsks in disapprovement. “We’ve tried to get her to, a few times, but our attempts were futile. She’s pretty stubborn in this aspect.”
Soojung shudders. “This is exactly why they’re worse than a korean drama. Annoyingly and visually worse.” She pauses before swooning slightly. “But god damn they’re so cute together.”
“Ahoy! Aboard the ship.” Song Qian jokes, before crossing her arms together. “Don’t you have a best guy friend too? Kim Jongin, right?”
Soojung quirks an eyebrow. “What? Him? You mean, are you suggesting that me and him--” she points at herself before pointing at Yunho and Boa again. “--like them? No! No, no no.”
Snorting, Song Qian doesn’t back down. “I’ve heard that an awful amount of times already, you know.”
“Oh come on, you haven’t seen the way I act around Jongin. I punch and kick and slap him, I call him names. I definitely don’t see him in that sense.”
Song Qian is now looking at her nails, nodding absentmindedly. “Sure. Okay. Guess who does that as well?”
Soojung could feel the sudden heat rising in her cheeks as she promptly stands up. “I’m going to the washroom.”
“That sounds awfully familiar too.”
Ignoring Song Qian’s teasing, Soojung leaves the room, hoping that what the former has said had not activated another switch in her mind. The last thing she want is to be caught in the same situation as her cousin brother.
That’s crazy, he’s my best guy friend! Soojung shakes her head rapidly, trying to get the thoughts out from her mind. Hmm, wait, where have I heard that sentence before?
--
It is a month later when Soojung finally sees her sister’s point about how she is totally unfit to be a member of the student council.
I mean, who the hell stays after school until 5 in the evening to sort out paperworks and all those other boring stuffs like the student’s co-curricular reviews?
Soojung hasn’t been talking to Jinri nor Jongin in days, given how busy she is with student council. When she finally collapses on the bed one evening and dials her best friend’s number, it is then that Soojung realizes just how much she needs to update Jinri regarding her life and to hear more of Jinri’s dates with Taemin.
The conversation somehow shifts from that to buying new clothes online to Soojung’s latest personal conflict regarding her current situation with prom.
She doesn’t want to admit out loud, but Soojung has been feeling reaaallllyyyy guilty lately. And obviously, from the secret stares that Siwon and Donghae (even Seohyun) and sometimes Song Qian would give to her whenever the topic of prom came up in the student council room, Soojung has a feeling no one is supporting her this time.
“The worst part about this is that Boa is being super nice over Yunho taking me to prom. She laughs at all my jokes, brings drinks for me and lends me her pen when mine ran out of ink. She’s genuinely nice.” Soojung continues to whine to Jinri on the other line. “I wouldn’t be feeling so guilty if it isn’t because she’s so darn stupidly nice like what the heck, why can’t she be bitchier--”
Jinri bit her lower lip; Soojung has been repeating the same thing over and over for the past fifteen minutes. “Soojung, I--”
“--instead of coming over excitedly and telling me there is a sale over at Macy’s and all prom dresses are half price off LIKE WHO IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND WOULD DO THAT???”
“Soojung--”
“And to top that, she offered to follow me to help choose my prom dress because Sooyeon had to freaking bail on me the last minute, while you were away dating your precious Taemin and no one else could follow. And I actually, for the love of all things sweet, actually agreed. What was wrong with me???”
“Okay, that--”
“And the other day, when I was waiting for Yunho on the only damn day we didn’t have a student council thing to do, she came over and told me that Yunho would be late and explained everything to me in her usual pleasant demeanor like WHY doesn’t she hate me yet, Jinri? Why is she still smiling at me whenever she sees me? If I were her I would hate me for stealing my prom date away. Why is she so weird?”
“...”
“Jinri? Are you there? Why are you so quiet?”
Jinri swears that if it isn’t because Soojung is her sworn best friend forever and she’s been there through thick and thin with her, she would have reached into the phone and strangle her.
“Soojung, if you feel so uncomfortable about this, why don’t you just not go to prom?” Jinri nervously lets out what she has been thinking throughout this conversation. There is a brief silence on the other line before Soojung heaves a loud sigh.
“Prom is next week, Jinri. There’s the dress factor to think about, the shoes--”
Jinri sighs as well. “Just admit that you don’t want to give your prom pass up.”
“T-that is not true!” Soojung raises her voice, then lowers it again. “Okay, maybe half of it is true.”
“Then stop thinking about it anymore!”
Soojung groans. “Right, you’re right.”
“Hey Soojung, can I call you back later? The Sound of Music is on TV at the moment and I want to watch it.”
“What? Again? Haven’t you watched that movie for at least twenty times already?”
“It’s a classic, OK. Julie Andrews is amazing and the songs are--”
“Alright, fine. Go, go.” Soojung sighs again, and on cue, she could hear the faint singing of how do you solve a problem like Maria? in the background of Jinri’s line.
Right now, Soojung groans to herself just as Jinri hangs up, my problem is most definitely not Maria.
--
“Oh no, we have a problem.”
Song Qian’s loud and heavy sigh is enough for Donghae and Soojung to hold their breaths. As it is free period for the two seniors, they have decide to sort out and count the nomination votings for Prom King and Queen.
“What is it?” Soojung asks, wide-eyed. She has no idea how Mrs. Kim, her biology teacher, had agreed to excuse her from class that morning, but either way, she very much prefers to count nomination votes than dissect a dead rat.
“There are five candidates up for Prom Queen, right?” Song Qian asks and Soojung nods. Donghae glances at the paper she is holding, a sudden grin spreading on his face. “Wait, how is this a problem? This is great news!”
“What is it?” Soojung repeats patiently, slightly confused at the two contrasting reactions from the two seniors in front of her.
“Our VP is nominated for Prom Queen.” Song Qian says in a rather nervous tone, handing the tally paper she is holding to Soojung.
Soojung scans through the list of nominations. Amazing how much the student body trusts them with this, Soojung quietly thinks to herself, if I am the one in charge, I would have removed a few nominations by now.
Hah. Jokes. I would never.
Unless if it’s someone I hate. Or a bitch. Or someone plain annoying. Actually maybe I…
“The problem,” Song Qian shakes her head a few times. “is that our VP isn’t going to attend prom.”
Soojung freezes in her position, her heart begins to sink in realization. Oh nooooo.
“And the thing is, there is a high possibility that she will be crowned Prom Queen. That’s what you’d call as the student council popularity.” Song Qian further explains while Donghae speaks up.
“So can’t we use this as an excuse to legitly force her into going?”
Song Qian rolls her eyes. “Do you honestly think it is that simple?”
“W-why wouldn’t it be that simple?” Soojung asks nervously. “She can still buy a ticket since she’s a senior, right?”
“If we use this excuse to get Boa to go to prom, she’ll one hundred percent laugh it off and say it doesn’t matter, because eventually if the candidate doesn’t show up during prom, she’ll be crossed off the list.”
“Can’t you guys try to convince her into going alone…” Soojung gives a dry laugh, and earns a pointed look from Song Qian. She quickly looks down on the ground.
“No one wants to go to a formal dance alone, Soojung. It’s absolute horrible timing too, because two seniors have asked her before but she turned them down since she thought...”
Here it comes again.
As if on cue, both Donghae and Song Qian are now looking at her, and deep down, Soojung wishes she doesn’t know the reason why.
--
Homework:
English: screwed
History: screwed
Biology: i am
Chemistry: so so so
Advance Maths: SCREWED
--
A day before prom, Soojung finally gives in to her conscience.
There is no way she could attend prom with Yunho now that she knows way too much information about his nonexistent-but-could-exist love life.
For the fun of it though, she decides not to tell anyone except Jinri about what she is about to do. And of course, for her plan to work, she has to eventually let Boa know, as well.
“Are you sure you want this?” Jinri asks again in final confirmation, heaving the bag onto her shoulder as they step onto the porch of Boa’s house. “Prom is just a day away and…”
“Hush, child.” Soojung stops Jinri from saying anything else. “Do not waver my decision. This is for the greater good.”
Jinri rolls her eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
Ignoring her best friend, Soojung rings the doorbell and waits patiently for someone to answer the door--preferably Boa herself. It’s a Sunday, anyway, she should be at home, right? Soojung rings the doorbell again, becoming anxious suddenly.
“Oh god if she doesn’t answer the door I’m gonna bail.” She mumbles. “Damn it, all I wanted in my life is to go to prom, but God forbid this from happening--”
“What on earth are you mumbling?” Jinri knits her eyebrows together as Soojung shakes her head and rings the doorbell again. “Nothing. Why isn’t anyone answering the door???”
“Um...has it ever occurred to you that perhaps she has morning mass to attend?” Jinri asks in a soft tone, slightly nervous for what Soojung would react next.
“Shit. No!” Soojung curses immediately, realizing that Jinri may be right.
“No cursing on Sunday, God’s watching.”
“Urghhhh!” Soojung smacks her palm onto her forehead twice. “It has to be now or never, Jinri. If I walk away now, I won’t be coming back! Wait, is this God’s way of telling me that it’s alright to go to prom? That I’m not stealing anything from anyone and that it’s perfectly OK that I--”
The door swings open suddenly, revealing a sleepy and confused Boa. “Soojung? What’s going on?”
Soojung nearly shrieks in shock at the sudden interruption. “H-hi, Boa. Umm...you didn’t go to mass today!”
Boa stares on, bearing an expression that Jinri could perceive as is this girl mad or is she plain high? Jinri fights the urge to giggle. “I attend evening mass on Saturdays.” She says slowly before smiling. “Can I help you with anything? Is this student council related? I’m sorry I look so messy. You should have called me or texted me beforehand, I only just woke up ten minutes ago.”
“I-I…” Soojung begins to stammer, looking at Jinri for help. “I’m here to tell you something very important.”
“Do you want to come inside?” Boa interrupts just before Soojung could blurt out what has been clinging onto her throat for days. She quickly shakes her head.
“Before that, I need to explain that Jinri here,” Soojung gestures at her friend beside her as she and Boa both exchange smiles at each other. “her mother is a dressmaker, which means that naturally, Jinri has the basic knowledge of measuring a person’s size for a dress--”
Alarmed at the extremely random detail, Boa blinks a few times, wondering if she has heard right.
Jinri elbows Soojung’s ribs so that she would stop talking. “I’m sorry, Soojung is always like this, she has a few loose screws in her head but her intentions are good.” Jinri apologizes at the silent older student in front of them. “What Soojung is trying to tell you, is that she is sorry for taking up your place in prom, and because she cannot live with the guilt forever, Soojung has decided to return that place to its rightful owner. Unnie, you.”
Soojung bobs her head up and down. She has managed to calm down, putting on a smile as she waits for Boa’s reaction.
“I...don’t quite understand.” Boa finally speaks after a moment of silence, her face as blank as a piece of paper.
Soojung mentally screams.
“You don’t have to understand anything, unnie. Just stand still and let me take your measurements so I can ask my mom to alter the prom dress. It should be done by tomorrow night.”
“What?” Eyes widening, Boa glances at Soojung again as Jinri steps forward and takes a measurement tape from her bag. “Soojung, what’s going on?”
Soojung forces a meek smile on her face. “I’m only doing the right thing.”
Jinri apologizes softly before putting the measurement tape around Boa’s waist. Soojung figures that if it isn’t because she’s Yunho’s cousin sister and Jinri is the best friend, Boa would have kicked them both out from her house.
“What right thing? Soojung?”
“Come over to my house tomorrow after school. There’s a hair and makeup artist coming over to do Sooyeon’s hair and makeup and supposedly mine, too.” Soojung continues on without exactly answering the VP’s question. “The dress should be ready by then because Jinri’s mom is very efficient, so not to worry. What size of shoes do you wear?”
“Five?”
“Amazing, we wear the same shoe size. High heels nailed down as well. What else?”
“Soojung!” Boa grabs Soojung’s shoulders and shakes her slightly. “Are you alright? Why on earth are you doing this?”
Jinri, by then, has already finished taking the required measurements. She exchanges a glance at her best friend as Soojung pauses, before finally putting on a much genuine smile as she too, places her hands on Boa’s shoulders.
“Because I’m not the one in love with my cousin brother.”
--
Homework:
English: summarize the passage in pg 70 into 50 words.
History: write an essay on Sejong The Great.
Biology: notes on chapter 6
Chemistry: rewrite paper on salts
Advance Maths: hah, Taemin says not to worry about it
--
“Are you sure about this?” Boa asks for the umpteen time and Soojung sighs for the umpteen time. “Your hair and makeup are done, you’re 10 seconds away from seeing your prom dress. Yes, of course I’m sure about this.”
“Sorry,” Boa apologizes sheepishly as Jinri reappears in Soojung’s room with a big black bag. “I’m just...I can’t exactly grasp it yet.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Soojung shakes her head as well. I ought to be given a medal for this sacrifice.
“Wait till you see the dress! It’s actually the same dress you picked for Soojung back then, but it’s been altered to fit you and I think you’d love it.” Jinri gushes continuously, much to Soojung’s annoyance. Jinri had not shown equal enthusiasm when it was Soojung who would be going to prom.
“You two go on about it, I’ll head down and wait for Yunho to arrive.” Soojung excuses herself from her room, jumping two steps down the stairs per time until her feet hit the bottom floor. She searches for her sister, who by now, should be ready and waiting for Donghae’s arrival.
“Hey.” Sooyeon waves at her sister from the living room, and Soojung smiles at how beautiful her sister looks in the sleeveless maxi mint blue dress. “Aww, look at my sister all dressed up and so feminine looking.”
Sooyeon narrows her eyes immediately. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing.” Soojung grins, fixing Sooyeon’s hair a little before glancing outside from their window. “When is Donghae coming?”
“In 5 minutes, I suppose.” Sooyeon shrugs calmly. Soojung feels a slight pang of jealousy. “You could at least try and be more excited?”
“Sorry.” Her sister apologizes and smiles. “What you did is great, Soojung. I’m proud of you.”
Soojung waves her hand in the air. “It’s no big deal. It’s just prom. I’ll be going to it in a few more years, anyway. Or next year, if I find a senior boyfriend by then.”
“Yunho doesn’t know about it, does he?”
“Nope.” Soojung pops the ‘p’, slightly proud to have kept the secret. “I am dying to see his reaction. He’s a real slow brainer, for someone with a 4.0 GPA.”
Sooyeon laughs loudly, much to Soojung’s shock and amusement. “Please don’t laugh like that in front of Donghae. He’ll get scared of you and run away.” She pauses, placing a finger on her chin. “Hey, that actually rhymes. Maybe I should become a poet, instead.”
Before Sooyeon could snap a reply or smack Soojung, a black limousine stops in front of their house. “Oh, Donghae’s here!” Soojung squeals, excited as she rushes towards the door to welcome him.
Donghae is clearly surprised when Soojung opens the door, and sees that the younger female is still wearing a tank top and jeans. Sooyeon exchanges a wink with her sister and pulls Donghae away before he could ask any questions. “I’ll explain everything in the limo.” She says to her date as they disappear inside the limousine.
“Have funnnn!” Soojung calls out, waving goodbye as she watches Sooyeon and Donghae’s limo driving off. Before she could return inside however, another limousine pulls up in front of her house.
“JINRI, HE’S HERE!” Soojung screams from the bottom of the stairs before rushing to the front door again. It’s a pity her parents aren’t around to witness this historical moment between their nephew and his would be future girlfriend.
If Donghae had been surprised earlier, Yunho expression is an understatement. The moment he steps out from the limo, he has already seen Soojung waiting for him in ordinary clothes.
“Wait, why aren’t you dressed?” Yunho asks immediately within earshot, clearly confused with his cousin staring back at him innocently. “I’m wearing these to prom.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“Soojung…”
Just then, Jinri screams from the top of the stairs. “She’s ready! She’s ready! She’s coming down now!”
The grin on Soojung’s face turns wider. “Oh, you’re going to love this.”
“Love what? Who’s coming down?”
Soojung doesn’t reply, because at that moment, Boa descends from the stairs slowly. Her long hair is styled and swept to the side, the tube lavender chiffon dress she had picked for Soojung now altered to fit her perfectly.
Frankly speaking, Soojung could feel pride welling up inside her, the only explanation I would accept if Yunho doesn’t fall in love with Boa after seeing her all dressed up like this and not in her usual sweatpants is that he’s gay.
Soojung looks back and forth from Yunho to Boa, the grin on her face still as wide. By now, they’ve both meet each other’s eyes, and from the looks of it, Yunho and Boa are suddenly very, very nervous.
“Hi, can you say something?” Soojung pokes her cousin’s shoulder as Yunho snaps his attention back at her. “Um...I...don’t know what to say.”
Soojung frowns. No way is he going to ruin my sacrifice by being the same oblivious fool--
“You look beautiful.” Yunho finally manages to form a coherent sentence as his attention is focused back onto Boa. “I mean, not that you aren’t before this, just that...I’m...wow.”
The same tinge of pink Soojung has spotted for a long time before this day appears on Boa’s cheeks. “Thank you. You look handsome in a tux.”
Soojung cringes, her fingers curling. “Yay, you’re not gay, but this is too cheesy for me so please, go, both of you, go have fun, go and finally discover love.” She says loudly, pushing Yunho out from the house and gesturing Boa to follow him. “Jung Yunho, you owe me three meals if this works out! And six meals if this doesn’t work out!”
Yunho merely flashes a smile at his cousin before holding out a hand to escort his date into the limo.
Once they are gone, Soojung collapses into the living room couch with Jinri hovering near her. “Did you take pictures of them before they left?”
“Why bother, they’d take hundreds of pictures themselves to commemorate this special day.”
Then slowly, Soojung leans back and closes her eyes, another smile gracing her face. All of a sudden, she could feel all burdens lifted from her shoulders. “Jinnnriiii, switch on the TV please.”
Jinri does as she is told, a sudden bright smile appears on her face as she switches the channel and the sudden singing of the hills are alive, with the sound of music, blasts loudly from the speakers.
Soojung snaps her eyes open immediately. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Jinri spreads her arms widely, mimicking Julie Andrews on TV. Soojung stares at her incredulously. “Fuck, I don’t care if the hills are alive, Jinri, SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT CHANNEL!”
“The hills fill my heeaaarrttt, with the sound of music--” Jinri sings loudly in her accented English, ignoring Soojung as the latter leaps up from the couch. Jinri gingerly increases the volume as Soojung scowls at her.
“THE HILL DOESN’T FILL MY HEART, CHOI JINRI, I’M GOING TO MY ROOM.”
--
Thirty minutes after prom has started, (and an hour since Jinri has started watching The Sound of Music again) Soojung makes her way across the street and towards Jongin’s house. After ringing the doorbell, she taps her feet impatiently on the ground, glancing at her watch and noting that by now, the speeches for prom would have been over.
Darn it, stop thinking about prom.
“Soojung-ah?” Jongin’s mother appears on the door as Soojung immediately puts on a smile. “Are you looking for Jongin? I’ll call him for you.”
“Great. Thanks, Mrs. Kim. I’ll wait for him outside.”
Three minutes later, Jongin appears, his face masks with absolute confusion when he spots Soojung yawning in his garden. “Soojung? What are you doing here? Isn’t tonight prom night?”
“Oh hey, Jongin.” She gestures him forward. “Jinri is high on Julie Andrews, so let’s go grab some ice-cream.”
“Um, Soojung? You haven’t answered my question.”
Soojung groans. “Long story short, I decided not to go, alright? I gave my spot to Boa instead. It’s weird to go as Yunho’s date, anyway.”
Jongin looks as though someone has just punched him in the gut.
“What? Why are you so surprised?”
Suddenly, Jongin bursts into laughter. It takes him a while to stop laughing, and Soojung has half a mind to walk away. “Fuck, I can’t believe this.”
“What can’t you believe?” Soojung frowns. “Come on, I’m not that heartless, you should see the look Yunho had given to Boa earlier, you would have praised me if you did.”
“Soojung. Wait here, alright?” Jongin says in a sudden stern tone that has Soojung clamp her mouth shut.
Jongin rushes back into his house and returns five minutes later. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t going to prom?” He asks, his expression mixed that Soojung couldn’t quite pinpoint what he is thinking at the moment.
“Dude, since when do you care about prom and if I’m attending it or not?”
“Since two months ago, when I freaking got the prom tickets for you.” Frustrated, Jongin nearly hisses his reply as he dangles an envelope in the air. “During the auction? If you remember?”
There is a pause as Soojung’s eyes widen, her jaw dropping in shock as she stares at the envelope in Jongin’s hands.
“Um, are you okay?” Jongin lowers his tone in concern as Soojung continues to stare at him without blinking, mouth forming a slight ‘o’. “Soojung?” He waves a hand in front of Soojung’s face.
On cue, Soojung snaps back into reality and lands a punch on Jongin’s shoulder. “KIM JONGIN, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK???????????????”
“OW!” Jongin yells, moving backwards and Soojung moving forward to hit him repeatedly. “Stop hitting me you crazy woman!”
“ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT ALL ALONG YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BOUGHT THOSE TICKETS AND NOT SEULGI????????”
Still trying to avoid her punches, Jongin raises his voice as well. “I asked Seulgi to buy them for me! She was helping me, you idiot.”
“NO, YOU’RE THE IDIOT. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME???????”
Jongin catches Soojung’s hands in midair. “Idiot, I wanted to surprise you! It was supposed to be an early birthday present. But then you went ahead and got yourself a date before I could reveal it to you.”
Soojung could feel her heart hammering beneath her chest from all the screaming she has done. She breathes in and out slowly, calming herself as she shakes her head a few times. “Okay. It’s okay, it doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter.”
“I’m sorry.” Jongin apologizes before glancing at his watch. The sight of his crestfallen best friend made him feel guilty all of a sudden, even though this could have been avoided if Soojung had told him about her plan.
Still grabbing onto her hands, Jongin pulls her suddenly to his front gate. “It’s not too late, if we rush there now--”
“How?” Soojung could only sigh.
Jongin grins slightly. “We ride.”
--
By the time Soojung reaches the school gym with Jongin, she is no longer disappointed or unhappy with the sudden turn of event. Rather, when she got off Jongin’s bicycle, she couldn’t stop laughing.
Jongin catches his breath before he too, got off the bicycle. He had pedalled as fast as he could, hoping that Soojung might still be granted access into prom, since legitimately they have tickets for it.
Except that Soojung is still laughing and clutching her belly, and Jongin quirks an eyebrow. “Why are you laughing? Shouldn’t you be running inside and checking if the--”
“Oh Jongin.” She wipes the tears away from her eyes due to excessive laughing. “This is so funny. Others arrived in limos or fancy cars, and we arrived on a mountain bike.”
“Nevermind that, go and--”
“Jongin.” Soojung grabs her best friend’s arm and tugs him away from the building. “It doesn’t matter anymore, really.”
“What? But you were so desperate, totally obsessed with prom and how attending it during your freshman year is an absolute must…” Jongin is now even more confused than before.
Soojung chuckles again, stopping in her tracks. “It’s not like I won’t have the chance to do so in the next few years. Chill.”
“You’re asking me to chill? Are you serious?” It is Jongin’s turn for his jaw to drop open. “Duuuude, isn’t prom the mother of all dances? Isn’t attending prom during freshman year an accomplishment, a once in a lifetime opportunity and that you’ll get worshipped after that?”
“Wow, you were actually listening back then. I’m proud.” Soojung grins again.
“You’re crazy.” Jongin concludes, shaking his head as he walks towards the side of the building. “But either way, come here.”
As they got nearer to the building, they could hear the upbeat song playing from inside the gym. “Looks like they haven’t reached the slow dancing part yet.” Soojung says as Jongin settles himself onto the patch of grass.
“Since we’re here, might as well listen to the music.” Jongin shakes his head again as Soojung sits down beside him. “I still can’t believe you let that crazy idea of yours go.”
“Hey, you went along with it didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah. Only because I wanted you to be happy!”
Soojung smiles. “Thanks, Jongin. I really appreciate it.”
“Ugh, but you didn’t even get to go.” Jongin sighs, pulling out the grass around his radius in frustration. “This sucks.”
“Well technically, you didn’t get to go too, because I was planning on asking you to tag along if I’ve gotten the tickets from the auction.” Soojung shrugs, lying down on the grass and yawning.
Jongin couldn’t hide the grin on his face. “Aw, you were going to ask me?”
“Yeah.” Soojung replies, looking at the night sky and then at Jongin’s back. “But it’s okay, prom is boring anyway. You take photos, eat and drink, then you dance all night. Boring.”
“Says the person who had been obsessed about attending it.” Jongin scoffs and Soojung hits a knee onto his side. “Shut up, Jongin.”
He snickers, but says nothing else. Five minutes later, Jongin stands up and holds a hand out. Soojung peers at him in curiosity, but notes the sudden slow music filling the air. “Um...since we’re here, I don’t know...should we dance?”
It is Soojung’s turn to scoff. “Is this how you ask a girl to dance with you? Try again, Jongin.”
Flustered, Jongin rubs the back of his neck before clearing his throat. He holds out his hand again. “Jung Soojung, can I have this dance?”
Grinning, Soojung takes his hand and he pulls her upright again. “Shucks, when did you become such a romantist?”
As Soojung stands, still holding onto Jongin’s hand, she suddenly realizes just how alarmingly close they are. She covers her sudden shyness with a cough, turning away when she feels Jongin’s hand on her waist.
“Gee, you’re fat.”
That is enough for Soojung to look back at him, eyes narrowing as she smacks the back of his head. “Say that again!”
Jongin merely laughs. “Just joking. You’re beautiful.”
Oh no. Soojung could feel her cheeks heating up. Oh nooooooooooo.
She keeps quiet, letting Jongin take the lead as they sway to the soft beats of the music. They are quiet for a minute, but Jongin breaks the silence with a chuckle.
“What would people think if they see us here, in our ordinary clothes and dancing to Ed Sheeran’s song?”
Soojung wants to laugh at that statement, but finds it very hard to especially since Jongin has pulled her closer into his embrace. She could faintly hear Song Qian’s words ringing repeatedly in her head, and Soojung has half the mind to storm into the school gym, find her, and strangle her for activating that switch in her mind.
“Hey Jongin, have you ever heard of a syndrome called the best friend syndrome?” Soojung asks out of curiosity, wondering if Jongin is thinking the same or if it is only her...
“Yeah, I did. Apparently it’s a thing now in school.” Jongin admits, his eyes not quite looking at hers. Silence once again engulfs them when suddenly, the music stops and Jongin halts his movements as well.
He removes his hands from Soojung’s waist and stands back, even though another slow song has started playing from the gym.
“So, what do you plan on doing now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You aren’t going to go crazy over the Homecoming dance, right?”
Soojung pauses, thinking hard. Two seconds after, she eases her expression and smiles. “You know what? I’m way past the formal dances for our school.”
Jongin lights up. He definitely doesn’t want to see Soojung going crazy over another dance again. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, and you know what, next year, I’m going to start my life anew. I'm a changed leaf now.” Soojung suddenly announces in a tone filled with determination. “I’m going to change my life, and change the lives of the student body of our school.”
Jongin’s smile fades. “What are you--”
“I have decided to officially run for Student Council!”
“--oh no.”
“Of course, since I’m only a sophomore next year, I won’t be able to be run for President or Vice President, but I may go for the minor roles like...like…” Soojung furrows her eyebrows to think again. What are the positions of that two boys Soojung rarely sees talking in the council room?
Jongin smacks a hand on his head. “Soojung, really???”
“Think about it, Jongin. I’m going to propose cool ideas like a longer time for recess, better lunch menus, a petition to teachers not to give detention over minor mistakes like passing notes in class--”
“But you don’t even like the student council!”
“--Oh ho ho ho, I’m going to be the best student council member ever and everyone is going to worship me for coming up with all those brilliant ideas, and then when I’m in my senior year, I’ll run for president and win by a landslide and everyone is going to love me and haters are going to hate but who cares they’re not worth anything--”
“JUNG SOOJUUUUUUUUUNGGGGGG!”
--
(end)
(bonus drabble)