Music:
Tik Tok - 2PM
Lonely - Kara
기차를 타고 - IU
'Drop the gentleman act.’
Kibum was in disbelief. Not only did he underestimate her he also knew from those mere four words that she was not an ordinary girl that would swoon over his looks and family background. ‘Not bad coming from a poor girl,’ he thought.
‘So you saw through me..’
‘It’s hard not to.’
‘You know, you’re really something. You’re the first girl to see through my acting.’
‘Yeah well, spoilt jerks like you have shallow emotions. You display your discontent towards your grandmother very obviously. You’re lucky she hasn’t noticed yet.’
‘Shallow!? Spoilt jerk? Who do you think you are to call me that? My mother?’ he retorted. This girl is stepping over the line... ‘Just because I’m rich does NOT make me spoilt. Who are you to judge me like that? I should be the one asking why someone as poor as you got into Carpe Diem. They’re seriously lowering their standards…’
Nicole’s face clearly showed disgust at the last statement Kibum made. I can’t believe there are people like him in this world… ‘Someone as poor as me?’ she repeated in disbelief, ‘Funny, Carpe Diem’s school rules never said that they would prevent someone with a low income family background from enrolling.’
This girl’s got attitude…
‘Yes… Well…it doesn’t. But it still amazes me how you can pay the school fees.’ Kibum was having fun teasing her. It was interesting. He had never really talked or even argues to a girl properly. All the girls in the past were too infatuated with Kibum’s looks and status to even mutter a word. Yet, here’s a girl who is not only making him have a decent conversation but actually snapping back at him. She intrigued him.
Nicole opened her mouth to retort Kibum’s comment with an even stronger insult of her own till suddenly the car swerved strongly to the left, making a u-turn to the side of road and abruptly came to a halt.
‘Hey! Watch how you drive! You could’ve killed me!’
‘Yeah well... Unfortunately I didn’t. Now may you take a break from your constant complaining and look at where we are?’
Nicole looked around. They had reached her house. She immediately gathered her things and opened the door to leave then she froze.
‘Should I thank him?’ she thought. ‘No, Nicole he’s been a jerk to you so why should you show gratitude? But…remember Nicole he did take the time to drive you home. You at least thank him for that right?’ She let out a sigh and turned to face Kibum.
‘Thanks for the ride.’ And she headed home, fumbling for her house keys.
Kibum watched from inside his car. Her last words repeated constantly in his head like a never-ending echo. It was the first time someone had shown sincere gratitude towards him. Everyone around him never properly appreciated his actions and neither were their ‘thank yous’ as sincere and meaningful as the way Nicole’s had meant. He felt a rush of happiness for being able to help someone without giving something return. It was a first for him and he had a gut feeling it wouldn’t be his last.
His eyes gazed at the seat Nicole had sat in. He could still smell her scent ever so slightly like she was haunting his car. Oddly, Kibum didn’t feel uncomfortable with her ‘presence’ or rather, he enjoyed it. She’s different from the others… wait, why are you thinking about her so much? He shook off the thoughts of Nicole and drove off. As he drove back towards his grandmother’s mansion he began unconsciously smiling as the thoughts of Nicole unconsciously surfaced in his mind again.
***
Nicole arrived at her front door still looking for her keys until the door suddenly opened in front of her.
‘Mum.’ She embraced the woman who had opened the door. ‘Sorry for worrying you. I kind of go into an acc-‘
‘Say no more.’ The woman released herself from Nicole’s hug. She smiled, ‘I know what happened. But before you tell me anything about last night, I want to ask you who is that handsome young gentleman who brought you home.’ Nicole’s mother was grinning from ear to ear.
‘Mum…’ Nicole whined. Her mother had a small habit of checking out younger guys. It wasn’t that she was interested in them, but she was constantly on alert of young handsome guys to introduce to Nicole. She hoped that one day, Nicole wouldn’t need to work to help the family but to be able to enjoy life with someone she loved.
‘From what I saw, he was quite handsome. Quite the match for you, I daresay. Not to mention he owned a very fancy sports car meaning he’s wealthy. I would say he goes to the same school as you? He’s older… I’m guessing from the serious look on his face.‘ Nicole’s mother had a knack of observing others and deducing they’re identity. She often stared at passer bys reading their actions. Like her mother, Nicole seemed to have inherited this natural ability to ‘read others’.
‘Please tell me he’s your boyfriend, Nicole.’
‘Mum…you’re doing that again?! Don’t you feel like you’re invading others privacy? And for the record, no, he’s not my boyfriend and never will be. He’s just the grandson of the woman who crashed into me not to mention he’s a jerk through and through. Just another rich spoilt brat.’
Disappointment fell on her mother’s face. ‘Nicole, when will you learn that boys don’t really have cooties,’ she sighed, ‘Why is it that you never find other guys attractive. Don’t tell me you’re…’
‘No mum! I’m not a lesbian!’
‘Well then… maybe you have hormonal problems… should I take you the doctor to get it checked out? Or is it psychological problems…’ her mum mumbled to herself. Her concerns for her daughter were suddenly interrupted.
‘Mum, where is he?’
‘Oh, he went out to get some groceries.’ As fast as her answer was, she immediately continued brooding over her daughter’s lack of interest towards guys.
‘What am I going to do with her…’Nicole sighed heavily as she headed towards her room to study.
***
Silence dictated the dining room even though a family of fourteen were gathered inside currently enjoying their main meal. To those observing from afar it would simple look like a normal family gathering of a family of wealth. But this dinner get-together was far from the normal. A tense atmosphere exuded the room. Even the servants noticed the immense emotions of hate and anger as their employers calmly yet coldly ate their meals.
‘Great family gathering, grandmother…’
As usual Key and probably everyone else on the table were unhappy with the sudden family get-together. And there were obvious reasons for it. One, they were dragged out of their extremely busy money-making lives just to meet relatives whom they did not want to see. Two, they detested the fact that an old weak woman was able to control their actions enough to make them reschedule their interviews just to fit this so-called gathering in. And three, they hated the mere presence of Kim Kibum. Just seeing Kibum’s face reminded them of their small percentage of the old lady’s fortune they were to receive after she dies compared to Kibum’s significant larger split, just because he was the ‘eldest male grandchild’, or so Granny phrased it. He also reminded them of the immensely powerful business status they could’ve received if he didn’t existed, the largest shareholder of Xavier. All in all they were selfish reasons for their hatred towards their immediate families. This was the reality Kibum was born into. He had to survive the glared of his uncles and aunt since a very young age and neither his parents nor his grandmother could do anything about it. Throughout his childhood his parents were barely there to support him through his hardships or listen to his problems. To them, he was merely a puppet for them to control once he inherited Xavier.
Kibum was alone in this harsh world. He grew up learning detachment and closed heart was the way to numb the hate and pain pointed towards. His grandmother noticed the changed attitude and lack of life in Kibum as a child. She had tried to mentor him, love and care for him in hope that he will open up but it never happened.
‘So….’ Granny knew of the tense atmosphere. She wasn’t as ignorant as they thought she was. ‘How were your days?’ she asked in attempt to start a slight conversation.
No-one responded.
‘Kibum, dear,’ she started again, ‘how was Nicole?’
This time there was a strong respond. Everyone’s eye perked up at the sound of a girl’s name but no one was more surprised than Kibum. Before the flustered Kibum was able to answer, his father’s low threatening voice asked, ‘Who is this Nicole you speak of, mother?’
Granny smiled at the response she received. She was having fun keeping her family on their toes. They knew that if Kibum was to marry, he immediately had access to the inheritance.
‘Oh, just my future granddaughter in-law.’
***
Granny was busying herself cleaning out the weeds in her flower bed. She paused to stare at the Forget-me-nots. ‘Gaho, I think I’ve found the right one…’ She smiled as memories of her husband flashed through her mind. A tear fell onto one of the flower’s petal. ‘I can’t cry, I promised…’
‘Madame.’
Granny quickly wiped her tears and turned to her butler, ‘What is it?’
‘It’s all ready.’
‘Good. Then we’ll do it tomorrow.’
***
‘Nicole!’
Nicole turned to see the smiles of Hara greeting her.
Nicole returned a smile, ‘So how was your photo shoot?’
She rolled her eyes, ‘The usual. Caked my make up on and made me wear heels that could barely allow me to walk. Seriously, stuff men do to women. We have rights you know! I’d like to see the designer wear their own designs for once. Get a taste of their own medicine.’
Hara was a strong feminist. Her strong beliefs and ego contradicted her petite figure. Nicole was even surprised at Hara’s passionate attitude towards female rights.
‘If they wear their designs then no one else would wear them,’ Nicole joked.
They turned down the hallway and headed towards their classroom. Further ahead they saw a crowd of girls craning their neck to get a view of whatever they were covering. The crowd of girls moved as the subject’s of their attentions moved turning down into another hallway. Nicole and Hara stared intently at the crowd. Neither of them wanted to join but their curiosity got the better of them. Though they refused to be one of the crowd, they were also craning their necks to see who or what was causing just rumpus.
Before the ‘subjects left’, Nicole caught a slight glace at them. To her horror it was Kibum and another two guys whom she did not recognise.
Is he really such a big deal? I mean, going all crazy for that jerk seems pointless. Do they even know what he’s like?
‘What was that all about?’Hara asked disgustedly. The sight of unsophisticated composed girls also annoyed her.
‘Come one Hara, let’s go to class.’ As Nicole said those words she could not help but turn to look at in the direction where she saw Kibum leave. Seeing his ‘persona’ in school made her even more curious.
As class began Nicole focused her concentration on the teacher. She naturally had already studied the content of their lesson the night before but she still listened well throughout class in case there were important points she missed. As quickly as class began the class ended signalling the beginning of lunch.
Hara and Nicole were reunited with Seungyeon at their usual table, the back right hand corner of the cafeteria. The table was the furthest away so most student, being lazy would avoid the tables around them. In a way it was their sanctuary from the rest of school.
Seungyeon was writing rapidly as Hara and Nicole joined the table.
‘Didn’t do your Economics essay, I see…’ Hara teased but Seungyeon simply ignored her.
‘If you’re not having that then I will,’ Nicole said eying at the untouched plate of spaghetti.
‘Wait…’ Seungyeon mumbled without looking up. She was almost out of room on the paper until she stamped a dot at the end of the line, dropped the pen and smiled at her friends, ‘Finished! So what were you saying?’
‘Nevermind…Hey Seungyeon…’ It was odd for the straightforward Nicole to take this long to get to the point, ‘you know how you know about all the gossip that goes around this school…’
Seungyeon and Hara exchanged glances. They weren’t used to Nicole taking this long to ask a question.
‘I was just wondering if you know who Kim Kibum is,’ Nicole finally managed to let out.
Seungyeon gaped while Hara pulled a confused face.
‘You don’t know who Kim Kibum is?! Have you even heard of Shinee? Any of you?’
Both Hara and Nicole shook their heads.
Seungyeon let out a disappointed sigh, ‘I guess it’s not surprising… Since one of you is a workaholic nerd and the other believes all male can’t be trusted.’
‘Hey!’ Nicole retorted.
Seungyeon ignored Nicole and began to explain, ‘Basically, Kim Kibum is the heir to Xaiver. You know, the largest most influential company in Korea. He’s part of a group which is dubbed Shinee, a name made by their ‘fangirls’. Shinee is a group famous for their good looks and wealthy background and surprisingly, they attend this school. The group has only three people. Kim Kibum, as I said before, Choi Minho renowned for his famous playboy antics and Lee Onew, or his real name Lee Jinki, who’s a very popular idol right now.’
Seungyeon paused as she let the information sink into their heads before she popped the question, ‘Why the sudden interest Nicole?’
‘Erm…’ Nicole was contemplating whether or not to tell her friends about her weekend with Kibum and his grandmother but decided against it. It’s nothing important. It’s not like we’re going to see each other again… ‘Don’t worry, just hear the name from somewhere and thought you would know something about him.’
‘Whatever,’ Seuengyeon simply brushed it off but she knew something must’ve happened to Nicole to do with Kibum or else Nicole wouldn’t have asked.
‘Anyways… Want to go to get some ice cream after school?’ Hara changed the subject,’ And don’t say no Nicole because I know you don’t have work today.’
‘I can’t. I have to put up some posters for the teacher. Next time. I promise.’
***
Kibum had been usually quiet today. Minho and Onew knew something must’ve happened during the weekend to keep him in deep thought during class but they didn’t question him. They knew he wouldn’t tell them anyways. Stuff that happened between his family he never shared with his friends.
The bell rang. It was the end of another school day. Kibum bid goodbye to Minho and Onew. They had to leave early; Minho had a date and Onew had a recording to rush to. After seeing his friends go. He made his way to his place up on the school roof. He had never liked the attention he received even though he was used being followed by a crowd. To avoid the after school rush as much as possible, he would hide in the school roof for a while. But now the roof served a different purpose. He wanted to be alone to reflect on what had happened during that family dinner.
‘Oh, just my future gandaughter-in-law.’
‘What?!’ Key’s father immediately stood up from his chair.
‘You heard me right,’ Granny’s eyes looked intently into Kibum's father's eyes, ‘My future granddaughter-in-law.’ She emphasised every word with authority.
‘I will not permit it. What give you the right to find Kibum a bride? That’s the job of his parents.’ He stated defiantly not showing an ounce of fear.
‘The job of his parents you say?’ Granny challenged, ‘What have you done for him as parents? Have you cared for him? Paid attention to him? Did you even love him?’ Kibum’s father froze after hearing the last word. Everyone else on the table was watching intently. Those last words had pierced through not only Kibum’s parents hearts but also shook Kibum to the core. Kibum’s father slowly sat down avoiding anyone’s gaze.
‘Anyone else unhappy with the idea?’ Granny dared.
Before anyone could reply Kibum stood up. He didn’t want hear anymore. He didn’t want to know their plans for him. He didn’t want to know how his life was being controlled. He just wanted peace, quiet.
‘Excuse me,’ Kibum mumbled as he turned to walk out the door leaving the rest of the family in disbelief.
Kibum Sighed. Although he was intrigued by Nicole to her as his wife was definite no. He didn’t want to marry. He had no plans to marry. Actually, his didn’t have plans to do anything. As a child everything had been planned out for him he had never learnt to think for himself. He never learnt to plan for the future or rather he waited for the future to come to him. Why must it be me?
The noise of the student which had been present before had quietened down. Kibum headed towards the entrance of the school. He walked slowly passing the hallways listening to the slight echoes of his footsteps. He’d much prefer school this way. The stillness made it felt like time had stopped something he wished would happen to him.
The tranquil atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by a loud rip sound. Naturally, Kibum turned to the source of the noise. To his surprise it was Nicole. So she really does go to this school… Kibum stared at her. What is she doing on that ladder? Nicole seemed to be struggling to pin up a large poster. She obviously couldn’t balance properly and with no one helping her to steady the ladder, it wobbled often.
Kibum smirked. These are the type that I hate... Independent girls are in over their heads. Can't she see she needs help?
He was just about to turn and walk until he heard a scream.
He immediately turned to see Nicole sprawled on the floor. He rushed to her side.
‘Hey, are you alright?’ he said as he helped her up into a sitting position.
‘What are you doing here?’ She was still in a daze from the fall.
‘I asked are you okay,’ Kibum said impatiently as he scanned her to see if there were any visible injuries.
‘I guess…’ she murmured weakly. She tried to push herself up. ‘Ouch!’ she had broken her wrist during the fall.
Kibum gently held her wrist. ‘Let me see.’ Nicole could not help but notice the worried expression on Kibum’s face. It was as if the Kibum she met before had completely disappeared. He was showing geninue concern for her well being rather than and the act she had seen him put on before.
He lightly pushed her wrist. Nicole flinched at the pain. ‘I think it’s broken,’ he concluded, ‘Come on, we better get you to the infirmary.’ He gently helped her to her feet. ‘You can walk right?’
She nodded, ‘Thanks.’
Kibum quickly avoided her eyes making the situation awkward. She said it again… That’s the second time already… How am I meant to respond to that?
Nicole smile. She could see tinges of pink on his cheeks. He’s embarrassed?
‘Nico-‘
Kibum’s suddenly vibrated.
‘Excuse me.’ He picked up the call.
‘Hello? … Yes… Okay… I’m with her right now… Now? Alright. I’ll be there in half an hour.’
As he closed his phone he quickly dragged Nicole towards the infirmary.
‘Let’s patch you up quickly. I have to take you somewhere.’
Author notes:
A earlier update than usual and a doubly long update. It's a long chapter. More like two chapters in one. Lots of stuff happened during this chapter. The story's finally coming together in my head. I think I might be able to pull up another update soon because my writer's block seems to have cleared. 
There are slight changes in my writing style. Not obvious but there's still changes. hope it doesn't interrupt the flow of the story.
Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint 
Warning: there may be grammatical errors in this chapter. I'm posting it up without a thorough edit since I was so excited and wanted to share this chapter with you all. The grey writing means a flashback for those who go confused.
Did you like the Nicole x Key moments? Well expect more 
Yibonnie
