joowon × meiqi || p(r)etty little things

are you my doom or savior?

Turning 18 might not mean anything to a lot of people while for others it really is the gate to indepence. For me, my age is just a number and that I became legally adult doesn't really affect my choices at all. I don't drink nor smoke anyway, I just don't see the point behind ruining my own health like. Since I dream of a career as a ballerina I can't even let myself become addicted to such damaging artificials like nicotine or any kind of love. Someone warned me that even love could be a drug that breaks my dreams in two but so far it doesn't seem like I need to worry about such thing. I'm too focused on getting good grades and giving my best at the Academy to have time for boys anyways. Not to mention that since this is my last year, I work extra hard on my performances. I can't be satisfied with anything worse than becoming a member of the National Ballet Association and to achieve that, to be one of the bests nationwide I can't let myself get distracted. To be honest, I don't even remember whether it was my mother's dream or mine to begin with but in the end, it's not what matters. I want to succeed in this field and not just because of the feeling of accomplishment whenever my parents praise me after my performances, not just because I'm scared to disappoint them but also because it's something, basically the only thing, I'm really good at and I cannot see myself doing anything else.
So having one more candle on my cake didn't really mean anything if not that in my senior year I finally convinced dad that I don't need his chauffeur to come and get me from school every day. We weren't the only well-situated family in this neighbourhood in the suburbs and I also wasn't the only kid brought to school with a fancy car driven by not a parent but an employee but it felt weird because we didn't live that far from the school, only a few stops by bus, yet dad was too worried about me to let me go alone. It was on a rainy day when I had to wait inside of the school because our driver was stuck in traffic and afterwards I told dad that it's just extra burden since I could do it myself. Almost every kid my age used public transport anyway and they didn't have someone 'more adult' guarding them 24/7. I understand dad's worries but we don't live in an area that has bad reputation and I don't really see what could happen that would be so terrible.
Other than me getting lost, of course. Because it's one thing that I have already checked the exact route between our house and the school, also the school and the Academy but I totally forgot about the doctor's appointment for today and according to my route planning app I have to take a different bus and for the love of god, I cannot find the right bus stop. From the outside it might look funny that I walk to one direction then like two minutes later I walk back to the crossroad but for some reason my GPS doesn't help either and I let out a frustrated sigh. But no, I won't call for Mr. Xu, I can handle it alone.
I look around, searching for someone who could help and I notice a bunch of guys not too far. They look like they are having the time of their lives, having fun but from their casualty it's easy to tell they're familiar with the area. I take a deep breath, shoving my useless phone into my brand new designer bag I got for my birthday from dad and I approach the boys. As I get closer, it's easy to see that unlike me, they don't wear school uniforms, so they must be out of school already.
"Sorry. Could you maybe help me? I'm searching for the bus stop for the bus 907," I speak up within a respectable distance between me and the group of guys all looking at me as if they couldn't believe their eyes. What? Is it that weird that I talked formally with them?

this road leads to hell

Just walking around the neighbourhood and having fun with the guys is what I usually do in my freetime, from which I have a lot without the useless things such as college or a decent job to worry about - repairing cars for a shitty salary is hardly something to be proud of. Most people would look down on me just because of my different mindset and bad boy attitude that urges me to don’t even give a shit about anybody else other than myself, but I like my life like that. Sort of. It’s the most that I got since I don’t have loving parents and a wealthy background to rely on, so this is all I can work with, so why wouldn’t I do that while enjoying life to the fullest without restraints?
Today is not so different from every other day, I meet the boys at the old, abandoned playground which became our spot over the years after kids stopped going there, and we soon decide to stroll on the streets, maybe visit our favourite café on the way where the products are horrible, almost disgusting, but their price is at least cheap and that’s what we can afford, plus one of my friends, Jongin, is currently fooling around with a girl who works there as a waitress, thus we go to the place probably more than we should.
We don’t expect to bump into a seemingly lost girl who looks quite ridiculous walking to all directions without actually moving forward to somewhere, anywhere. It’s not our problem though, but it kind of becomes that when she’s bold enough to address us. That is a hell of an idea, asking 5 boys which direction to go not aware of the dangers this encounter might hold. We’re not animals to hurt girls, but showing your vulnerability to strangers is never a good choice - especially if the strangers are us - and not having a clue about where you are or where do you need to go definitely makes someone vulnerable in some ways. Not even the locals dare to speak to us, so she sure attracts our attention.
“Oh yeah, we could definitely be at your service, little bird,” Wonshik grins, shamelessly eyeing the girl’s exposed legs in the uniform she wears. He is sure thinking about some dirty things as per usual, which would be a dangerous game to get into since this girl could be easily underage if she is still in school. I’m too bad at telling someone’s age judging by their looks, but I mean, when did we start to care about getting involved with minors? Oh yeah, we haven’t.
“What are you doing out here alone though? These streets are not safe for girl wandering around,” Jongin adds, halfly joking and halfly being serious, people might not know but if she walks up two streets she could get into an alley where they sell drugs. It’s risky not being totally familiar with the neighbourhood.
“You go straight ahead from here, turn left at the end and you should immediately see the bus stop, but go to the other side of the road, the bus 907 will go from there,” I add, breaking up the boys little teasing show before my other two friends could join them. Not that I feel sorry for the girl, I just don’t want any passerby to accuse us of harassing a student. She’s nothing to us, we’ll likely won’t see her again, because she doesn’t look like someone who would hang around boys like us much, so why go through the trouble of talking to her more than necessary? I don’t like quiet and polite ones anyway, they make everything feel so serious.

are you my doom or savior?

After wearing barely any coverage beyond those tight ballet dresses and tulle skirts, I wouldn't say I'm self-conscious about my body, especially when I have to wear the school uniform which is the same for everyone and legs on display are a pretty common things in Korea. But for the first time in a long while, I feel uncomfortable under the watching eyes of the guys I approached. I'm not used to the pet name either, so I don't really know how to react or reply when one of them calls me little bird while another inquires me about the reasons behind me being alone instead of helping.
"I just wanted to find the bus stop near the school. But I think I got a bit lost," I admit quietly, shyly brushing a lock behind my ear. Walking five more minutes than I should have makes it pretty sure that I didn't find the right stop. That's how I ended up in this neighbourhood which is close to my high school but I have never been here because seemingly it's the other end of the town, the half I'm not familiar with. To be honest, I know nothing about this area but so far I haven't seen anything that would make it inappropriate for girls wandering around as the tall guy mentioned. It's true that the buildings around here are mostly rundown and these corners are nowhere near as lovely as the direct surroundings next to the high school. But I'm not the type who judges the book by the cover, so I don't make too quick assumptions about the place, nor the people I meet here.
However, I'm about to excuse myself, apologizing for troubling them in case they can't (or don't want to) help me when another guy speaks up. He stands a bit behind the earlier two guys, dyed blonde hair hanging into his forehead, covering a bit of his eyes. His face is stern, eyes piercing as his glance lands on me and dark clothes hung on his frame like they were made to worn by him. So far he hasn't really joined in the laughs or pointing at me for whatever reasons his friends did. He seemed like the quieter type but I'm glad he interrupted the earlier remarks and decided to help me out. I try my best to remember his instructions about going straight then turning left and crossing the street and it's actually a bit like a choreography, so I won't have a problem from now on.
"Thank you so much," I bow politely to show my gratefulness and not caring about the spit of chuckles and surprised gasps I turn around. Fingers hooking into the strap of my bag I follow the directions the boy gave me. Trying to act natural as if I wasn't watched from behind as I take elegant steps towards the end of the street, I hum to a song to cheer myself up after such a troublesome and adventurous afternoon.
But even as I take the turn when I need to, I feel those dark eyes haunt me.

this road leads to hell

Everything the girl does and says is just fuel to the fire burning inside my friends’ heart, giving them more reasons to mess with her seeing how coy she is. I usually like to stay out it, it’s their business, not mine, and I couldn’t care less about which pretty girl they choose to tease with their dirty thoughts, she’s not the first and won’t be the last one either, so there’s nothing special for us in this encounter. But I bet that after today, she’ll think twice before talking to strangers again.
I only nod at her thanking me for basically nothing, it doesn’t take much effort to tell her which way to go to find the right bus stop. I don’t think I need to say something to her or mimic her bow to just show an act of politeness I don’t even mean. Not to mention that I couldn’t recall the last time I bowed to someone as it’s not a habit at where I’m from, my body became completely rigid at this point and there’s uneasiness thinking about doing it again.
We all watch her petite form getting further and further away from us, not without Jongin and Wonshik continuing their dirty comments about her and guessing whether if she has a boyfriend with those pretty legs or not. As for me, I couldn’t care less about her private life until they bring me into the conversation too.
“What do you think, Joowon?”
“Huh?” I turn towards Jongin furrowing my brows, wondering what I have missed while zoning out a bit, let’s be honest, it’s not hard to shut their voices out as it’s all I hear every day.
“Ooooh, someone is mesmerized by that little bird, huh?” he laughs, sharing some knowing looks with Wonshik. I just glare at them, not impressed the slightest.
“Who, me? Please, she would be too easy to get,” I snort, shaking my head at their suggestive glances. However, there is no actual malice in my voice, I just simply state facts I think are right.
“Oh yeah? Prove it then! Make her fall in love with you, then break her little heart.”
My instinct reaction is to dismiss their ridiculous idea, I neither have time or interest in running after this girl, but their tone that indicates my friends are expecting me to back out or fail if I try makes my blood boil and brings out my competitive side. Oh, they want to see the real Joowon in action? They are so going to eat their words afterwards.
A smug smirk appears on my lips as I shake hands with Jongin and Wonshik after agreeing on the terms of our dirty little bet, saying some shit to the video they record to have a proof later, then I jog after the girl who already disappeared from sight, praying that my legs would take me to the bus stop faster before the bus comes.
Luck is on my side today as I immediately spot the girl in her uniform standing at the bus stop with a few other passengers waiting a bit further up. I slow down to not to appear as a freak hurrying after her.
“Hey, thank God you’re still here! I just came to apologize for my friends behaviour, they are total dicks, don’t mind them, I know it’s not a real consolation, but they are like this with everyone,” I put a sweet smile on my lips, changing my voice to sound smoother, leaving all the raspy edge out that usually characterizes me. She’s almost a head shorter than me, so I glance down at her with a tender look in my eyes, pulling all the meaningless little tricks out of my sleeve. Her doe eyes might be adorable, but they do nothing to actually move my heart.

are you my doom or savior?

Thanks to the instructions I got from the mysterious boy, I easily find the bus stop where he told me to. I double-check the bus is supposed to come according to the table hung under the sign and I let out a big breath when I conclude I can make it to the doctor's just in time.
I'm in the middle of fishing out my airpods from my bag to listen to some music during the ride when I get interrupted. It's a new habit since during drives it's considered impolite to listen to music while on public transport as I have seen, it's an everyday thing to do. The little white box of the earbuds almost falls out of my hands when I take notice of the guy appearing on my left and surprised I look up at him. I didn't expect anyone to come after me, much less him, who seemed more bothered by my sudden appearance than anything else. It actually made me feel a bit bad that I troubled them with my problems. They must have bigger issues than to help out a little lost girl like me, so what did I think just walking up to them like that? As if they owned me anything? It's exactly what people would except of me, a girl who gets everything she wants having the world at her feet and she still demands more. But the thing is I don't want to be like that, I don't want to take my advantageous situation for granted.
I smile shyly as the boy keeps talking and I can't help but think how different he is now that his friends aren't around. Not that it's something that can be declared after a few minutes of knowing him, knowing basically nothing about him, but among his friends he was quieter, more stern. Now even his voice is softer, not to mention his smile! It might be just a little curve on his mouth the way it makes his eyes form crescents is adorable. I don't want to offend him by giggling but it's actually cute if he only acts all tough because it's what his friends expect him to do. It's a bit saddenning too but it reminds me of all those Japanese animes with tsundere characters, the so-called bad boys who aren't really like that under the surface. I wonder if he's really like that.
"Oh. You didn't have to come after me because of that," I tell him quietly and fumbling with that silly lock the wind always blows in front of my face. "It's nice of you to worry but I wasn't offended by your friends, they didn't do anything bad."
And they really didn't. They were just joking, weren't they? They didn't mean anything bad and it all turned out alright. However, it's mostly thanks to him, otherwise who knows when they would have been generous enough to give me an exact answer to that simple question. He made it easy.
"Thank you for helping me out though," I smile up at him genuinely thankful and don't know what to do with myself. I'm not used to talk with boys. Let alone handsome ones I just met in a supposedly suspicious alleys.

this road leads to hell

A triumphant smile makes its way to my face as the girl reacts well to my apology, but I’m cautious enough to not let myself get too carried away by it, her words just prove my theory that I can’t be too forward with her, looking at how naive she is I doubt she would realize it even if I was openly flirting with her. It makes me wonder for just a second, I’m almost certain that she has no boyfriend with that shy attitude, but maybe there were boys trying who liked her she just didn’t notice it. It’s a wild guess, but the assumption alone brings out my competitive side even more. I’ll definitely win this bet no matter what it takes.
I’m not about to disagree with her on her opinion about my friends, though I have a strong urge to roll my eyes at her words. They didn’t do anything bad, huh? I’m tempted to ask that what is the definition of bad according to her then, but I decide to keep my mouth shut. I can’t let my snarky side get a hold of me. So instead I nod with a smile, not too forced, but not too honest as well. If I was into innocent girls like her I would find the way she plays with her hair stupidly endearing, right now it has zero effect on me.
“Of course! I’m glad I could help you, you looked really lost. Are you not from our neighbourhood?” I answer easily, keeping the conversation going because truth to tell, she looks lost at the moment too. I don’t want to get too cocky thinking it’s my effect on her, she couldn’t be that easy, could she? I don’t think it will be too hard to really get to know her. Everything is written on her pretty face.
As I look up behind her I notice the bus in the distance, and the panic instantly kicks in. I have to do something before she disappears before I could leave a serious impact, though I got a good look at her uniform, every school has a different logo so it wouldn’t be too hard to find out which one she attends, still, I feel like I didn’t do enough.
“I’m Joowon by the way, it’s nice to meet you!” I quickly offer my right hand, smiling down at her, which kind of makes my mouth hurt. I’m not used to smiling that much, but what can I do? Her bus will be here shortly, then I can go back to my usual poker face I like much better. Maybe it’s not too bad that we have a limited amount of time to talk today as I’m not a social person. Well, it mostly depends on the people around me, I can go from a social butterfly to an antisocial person in a span of seconds if I don’t like my company.
“Have a safe journey! Hope to see you sometime again!” I say my goodbyes when the bus stops in front of us, she is the last one to get on it as we don’t finish talking in time. I could swear there is a blush coloring her delicate face when she turns away from me, but her long hair served as a good cover so I don’t see it clearly. I wait for the bus to disappear at the end of the road, even waving enthusiastically at the girl who sits beside the window before the smile on my lips drops and I’m finally back to my usual self.
Gosh, it’s tiring to be nice!

are you my doom or savior?

Now I really don't understand why my parents, especially dad, were against of me moving around alone using public transport. A lot of people my age has absolutely no problem with it and a silly part of me has always envied those who went home together with their friends taking the bus. Even though I don't have close friends to go with - it's hard to maintain friendship if you miss half the school days because of practices and performances and contents -  I have been enjoying having my way these last days. I admit dad was right that waiting for the bus can be troublesome  especially here in the suburbs and that it can be kind of uncomfortable if a lot of people have to be in such a small place. But inconveniences like these can be forgivable for everyday luxuries like exploring the area.
Though, it seems like I'm not making too good job of that if this boy noticed my lack of knowledge about the neighbourhood. So when he asks about that, I don't even try to cover it up or protest. I merely let out an embarrassed little chuckle.
“Ah yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious. I go to school near here but I'm not from around. Although I know which bus to take home, I have an appointment in the opposite direction today, so that confused me a bit,”  I explain myself to the helpful boy. I cannot quite place a finger on the glint in his dark eyes but based on his actions and kind words he seems really nice. I really don't know what I would have done without him helping me out. I would probably still wandering out there, maybe searching for a nice old lady who has lived in the area all her life and ask her for directions.
When something weirdly resembling to fear flashes in the guy's eyes I follow his gaze's direction above my shoulder and see the bus coming. But before it could arrive, I'm pleasantly surprised when the boy introduces himself hastily. I have never made friends like this on the street. It feels refreshing to be out here, not in a golden cage protected from everything in the world. It really does feel like everything in kdramas could happen in real life from accidental encounters even with heroes without capes. With rebellious blonde hair actually.
“Glad to meet you, Joowon,” I bow slightly out of politeness and because no matter how casual he looks he's probably older which means I should use formal speech with him. “My name is Meiqi,” I tell him glancing down on my school uniform with my name tag on it with the ridiculous Korean romanization of my Chinese name as if it wasn't obvious that it's pronounced like Mae-ee-chi. Although I'm well aware that no matter how close the two languages are to each other there are even sounds like the q that don't exist in Korean.
Then suddenly it's all too soon when the bus arrives and I don't have a chance to ask him whether he's around from here or something like that. I can't be late from my appointment either, so there's no chance I would wait for the next bus as an excuse to have more time to talk with him. Ah, why do I already think of that? It's ridiculous, I remind myself of my foolishness but it doesn't mean I can fight off the blush creeping onto my cheeks when Joowon says that he hopes to see me again. Oh my, does he mean that?
"Thank you!"  I smile at him hurriedly before hopping on the bus being the last to do so. I don't have any chance to say more, or I'm too slow I don't know but I feel a new kind of excitement in my veins and as if I couldn't wipe off that endeared smile off my face. I can't help but glance out of the windows once I seated to take a peek of my kind hero's handsome face and seeing him waving at me encourages me to do the same.
I can't get him out of my mind for the rest of the day.