CHAPTER 3

PART 1

“Wahahahaha! That look on hyung’s and Yeorin’s face was priceless. I wished I had my camcorder with me. I would love to capture that moment and post it on Youtube.”

“Yah oppa! You’re so mean!” and she pinched his cheeks.

He put his arms around her shoulders, “But it really was funny. Do you think that perhaps, the two of them are attracted to each other?”

And he stood up, and got all dramatic.
“Love at first sight,” he said, complete with exaggerated hand gestures, “Come on Eunjung! Think about it. Heechul hyung and Yeorin. Match made in heaven.

Eunjung could think of a reply. Instead, she burst out laughing. Despite the contradicting characters those two had, Eunjung could not help but think, what if…

#

Walking along the streets with his drumsticks, something caught his eyes. A pair of lovers, laughing and obviously having a lot of fun with each other’s company.

A spank of jealousy hit him. Thoughts went through his head.

“What is SHE doing there with another guy?”
“She rejected me, saying she had a prior engagement. Yah right! A prior engagement with another guy?”

He whipped out his phoned and dialled a number. A number, he had memorised from the moment he received it.

#

Yeorin was left alone in the dorm. Eunjung was out with Sungmin. While Yunhee was out at the library, either studying or spending time reading novels by Donghae’s side.

That scene keeps repeating in her mind, much to her annoyance. No matter what she does, it just doesn’t seem to go away. She wished she was a computer hard disk, then all she has to do is to press the delete key and all of this morning incident gets deleted along with it.

In the end, Yeorin opened Yunhee’s and Eunjung’s closet and looked through their clothes. She would pick one out, and placed them against herself. She looks at herself in the full length mirror and gets disgusted at the state of the clothes. Too short, too much skin, too low cut and too tight. Nothing seems to suit her taste.

Yeorin stared at herself and wondered, “Why am I so bothered about him? Never in my life have I ever bothered what other people think, or say, about me. But why is it so different this time with him? Is there something special about him?”

She shook that thought out of her head. There was never a possibility of her being attracted to a guy who doesn’t look like one.

#

Heechul stares at the computer screen, not concentrating on his Star Craft game. How could he, after what happened earlier.

In his mind, he saw Ivy and Hyori, sexy female singers who know how to dress. Then he puts Eunjung and Yunhee in his head. He could not see any similarities between these four females with Yeorin.

“Well maybe Ivy and Hyori is out of the question. But Eunjung and Yunhee are her friends, in fact her roommates. Why is she so different from them?”

He tried to put Yeorin in a skirt. But he immediately shook that thought away. Then, he put her in a blouse. Not as bad as his first try.

Then it strikes upon him. He needs to do something about Yeorin.

“I need to transform her. I need to change her into a woman.”

But almost instantaneously, another thought came to him.

“Why am I so bothered about Yeorin? She isn’t even my chingu, and I doubt she’ll ever be one. But why can’t I just leave her alone? WHY?”

#

“Hold on. A call… I think its from Yeorin.”
“Yeoboseyo...”
“Yeoboseyo Eunjung-sshi.”

An all-too-familiar voice.
“Omo! Omo omo! Hold on.”

She excused herself.

“What’s up? I thought I told you I’m busy today. “
“Busy eh?”

Eunjung could sense some frustration and unhappiness in his voice and she knew lying would help to solve the problem.

“Yes. I’m busy, and I’m not free. I made a prior engagement with Sungmin-sshi.”
“Ahh… Sungmin-sshi eh?”
“Yes. Sungmin-sshi. He asked me first. Look, I’m sorry I rejected you today but he asked first.”

“Eunjung-sshi, when will you decide?”
“I don’t know. Don’t rush me. Please…”
“But…”
“Excuse me. I need to go. He’s waiting for me.

Eunjung was pissed. Why did he have to call her and make her feel all guilty when she was having so much fun?

Eunjung didn’t go back to where she left Sungmin. Instead, she decided to take a stroll by herself to calm her down. Maybe, who knows, she might find that answer in her heart.

*

CHAPTER 2

And the story unfolds… This is how it all began.

#

“Hyung! I’ll be going now. Annyeonghi kyeseyo.”
“Wait! Where are you going?”
“Eunjung’s dorm to pick her up. I told you yesterday, remember?”
“Does she have roommates? I wanna tag along.”
“Hyung…”

“Jungsu, wanna come along?”
“It’s ok. I’ll just stay here. You guys run along.”

Along the way…

“Any hot girls in her dorm? Eh?”
“Haiz… You’ll see later hyung.”

The two guys reached the girls’ dorm. Sungmin gave Eunjung a call to inform her of his arrival. The guys waited for the door to open.

Heechul got a shock when the door opened. There, stood Yeorin, not a guy, not yet a woman.

“Yah Sungmin, are we at the right place?” he nudged.
“Yes hyung,” he chuckled, “Hey Yeorin! Is Eunjung done yet?”

Yeorin did not give a reply. She stood there in disbelief.
“Is this really a guy?” she whispered under her breath.

Sungmin waved his hands in front of Yeorin to get her attention. He noticed the sheer disbelieve between the two of them.
“Yah hyung, Yeorin-sshi! Gwaenchanha?” and he introduced the two to each other.

Eunjung appeared a while later. Sungmin whispered to her what just happened. The two of them quietly left the two standing at the door, and were off for their date.

“Yah!” both said at the same time.
“You first.”
“No you.”
“Ladies first.”

Yeorin gave a smirk and turn her back, and went into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Heechul could not believe that the a door just slammed in his pretty face.
“Yah! You think you’re so great, eh?” and kicked the door.
“Owww!” he went off limping, muttering to himself like an ahjumma.

“Hah!”
“Ladies first,” she imitated him.
“What’s so great about you? Looking like a yeoja? Is he even male? Maybe he isn’t straight.”
“I don’t care what others think of me but why am I unhappy with his comment? What is wrong with me?”

#

Heechul was muttering to himself all the way back to his dorm. The moment he entered his dorm, it was as though a bomb exploded.

“Hah! What’s so great about her? Looking like a namja? Is she even female? Maybe she isn’t straight.”
“AHHHHHHH!!!!” he screamed in disbelief.

“Heechul, gwaenchanha?”
And he screamed again.

“I don’t care about what others think of me but why am I unhappy with her actions? What is wrong with me?”

#

“HE IS NOT WORTH MY TIME! AHHHH!!!”

“SHE IS NOT WORTH MY TIME! AHHHH!!!”

CHAPTER 1

Yeorin was putting on the final touches of her make up. She puckered up her lips and was ready to go. Her brothers peered into her room.

“Yah noona! Please hurry! We need to leave already.”
“Hah! Yah Hongki. Sometimes, I want my old Yeorin back. There are times like this that I miss my old dongsaeng.”

And the two brothers left her room.

Yeorin who earlier was all ready, sat on her bed and sighed.
“Did oppa have to mention that?” she whispered under her breath.

Flashback 1 year ago.

“Ahh! I can’t choose! One mesmerise me with his angelic voice, the other with his drums,” Eunjung stormed into the dorm all flustered.

“Yeorin! Who should I choose? The charming Sungmin or sweet and adorable Minhwan? I want them both! AHH! I’m stressed!

Yeorin looked up from beneath her books, shaked her head, and went back to hit the books.

“Yah Yeorin ah! Were you listening? I need your help. Come on! Help me choose!”
“Eunjung ah. There are better things to be stressed up about. Like perhaps, the upcoming midterms? Eh?”
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re a girl.”

“I’m back! Missed me girls? I went shopping with my Donghae. You girls should hook a boyfriend like him, sweet and charming. Ahh!”
“Omo! Shopping? Yunhee! Where did you go? What did you buy? Let me see! Ahh Yunhee ah! I’m stressed! I need to choose between Sungmin and Minhwan.”

The two girls continued blabbering on and on about clothes, shopping and boys. Yeorin plucked in her headphones and blasted music from her laptop.

Meet Kim Yeorin. 20. Female. 1st year college student. Many have mistaken her for a guy. But she is the least bothered.
Her motto in life, beauty is skin deep.

#

“How do you think I should cut my hair? Short? Or longer that short? Definitely not bald. Should I dye it? And maybe reborn it at the same time? It would look nicer I think.”
“Heechul, Heechul, Heechul. You, my friend, should start to learn to spend less on your appearance. If I were a girl, I’ll run away from you cos’ you’re much prettier than me.”
“I’m that good looking eh? I know that. Komawoyo Park Jungsu-sshi,” and he looks into the mirror, adjusting his hair, smiling to himself.

“Hyung ah! What should I wear for my date with Eunjung tomorrow? I seriously need to please her and get her attention. She’s getting more and more driven towards that drummer boy.”
“Oh come on… Let me help you. Let’s see what you have. Where are you taking her tomorrow?” and he opened the cupboard door and started ransacking.

And Heechul became the fashion consultant for the day. Doesn’t hurt to be a little metrosexual, right?

Meet Kim Heechul. 23. Male. Final year college student. Many have mistaken him for a girl. But he enjoys all the attention.
His motto in life, bad attention is better than no attention.

#

This is the story of how boy meets girl.
This is, The Day You Went Away.

Prologue

He had to go away. After the changes he did to me.
I don’t ever want to see him again.
Ever.
No matter how much I miss him.