Beauty and the Beast | Chapter 5/?
Beauty and the Beast
Author: love_cassiopeia
Summary: Jung Yunho - a gifted and successful actor. Kim Jaejoong - Yunho's biggest fan. After receiving the task to interview Yunho for his journalism assignment, Jaejoong realizes that his favourite actor just might transform him from a "fan" into something much more.
Rated: PG-13 ~ NC-17
Disclaimer: I don’t own the five members, I’m simply borrowing them.
Warning(s): NC-17 material, language
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Pairing(s): YunJae
Chapter 5: Carnival
5.
Carnival
Downtown Paris. 9:00 PM Paris, France
The multi-coloured city of Paris, France was turning into a vivacious blur right before my eyes as he led me through the breathtaking metropolis. My senses were tingly from the touch left at my fingertips, causing me to become a bit lightheaded. The cold autumn air blew past us, making our hair sail animatedly in the dreamy atmosphere. My chest heaved appallingly from the time-consuming run, and yet I still had the energy to accelerate even faster as his grip on my hand became tighter. I glanced around the city and then at him. Was this a possible stage for reality?
Although I knew that my attempts would end up in vain, I tried my best to prevent him from going any further. “What the hell are you doing?” I asked, completely aware of his rash actions. “Are you crazy-escaping the staff dinner like this?”
He continued running with my hand grasped tightly in his. “Let’s go see Paris!” He shouted into the air, hoping I would hear him. “It’s not everyday that I can come to such a city!”
“Not even an actor like you has the advantage?” I teased. “Maybe you’re not as fabulous as everyone thinks you are!” I added, knowing it would poke at his nerves.
“It’s not like I can ever see a city for its true beauty with that staff around!” He explained in between breaths. “Now that I have someone who’s on my side, I can actually go sight-seeing with him knowing that he’ll understand!”
“And get busted afterwards? Real smart, Actor Jung Yunho-sshi.”
“I told you to just call me ‘Yunho!’” He repeated.
“I know.” I replied. “I just have a wonderful time pissing you off, that’s all.”
He rolled his eyes and continued running, now heading into a different division of town. This branch of the metropolis had an exceptionally large population, making us twist and turn to avoid bumping into the crowds of people. I was moving too fast to notice if the hordes were tourists or locals, but kept my eyes open to notice where Yunho was taking me.
I panted uncontrollably as we arrived at our destination. The long endured run left my limbs in pain and my throat devastatingly dry. I glanced at the taller man and gave him a ‘you are one crazy bastard’ look. He replied with a shrug, a sign to me that he couldn’t possibly care less.
After forcing air back into my lungs, I finally found the courage to realize where on earth he had taken me. Looking up, I noticed that we were currently standing amongst a sprightly carnival located in the heart of Paris, one which was vividly-coloured from head to toe. Ferris Wheels and Roller Coasters filled the lively area, making me feel as if I was a young child once again.
He placed an impish smirk on his lips as his eyes met mine. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
I blinked, realizing his insane question. “I couldn’t possibly be thinking what you’re thinking!”
“Let’s go on the Ferris Wheel!”
Oh no. Not only was I awfully intimidated by Yunho, but I had my fear of heights as well. The two of them merged together would turn my world into one fanatical nightmare!
I had no choice but to follow his orders and tail closely behind him as he headed over to the lofty Ferris Wheel. I didn’t know whether it was my fear of getting lost or my burning desire to be beside him that fueled such an action. My heartbeat became a bit bizarre as I realized that the two of us were nearly on a date. Oh, the amount of girls who would want to be in my position right now! I was certainly one lucky guy.
His intense dark brown eyes left me no choice but to follow as he neared closer and closer to the Ferris Wheel. He purchased me and himself a large portion of cotton candy before we arrived at the wheel and urged me to eat the sticky treat. I thanked him kindly, the same old blush still on my pale complexion.
When we arrived at the Ferris Wheel, Yunho immediately searched for his wallet and dug out a few French paper bills. He muttered a few things in French (none of which I understand) to the man commissioning the ride and paid our share to go on the wheel. Within no time at all, we were allowed onto the serene yet entertaining ride. With nothing but a stick of cotton candy in one hand and contentment in the other, the two of us optimistically stepped into the tiny compartment which caged over us protectively.
Worry began to fill up my body as our tiny compartment began to elevate. Placing me on a ride such as this left me no choice but to face my greatest fears. I breathed in and out, hoping it would calm my spirit down and push my fears aside.
Yunho snorted as he saw such an alarmed expression upon my features. “You’re scared, aren’t you?” He asked humorously, taking a bite of his cotton candy.
“Am not!” I defended, trying to be as tough as I could in front of the gifted actor. My actions momentarily contradicted my statement as the Ferris Wheel began to rotate faster, making me shiver in complete fear.
“Right.” Yunho denied, giving me a mischievous glare
I wanted to lecture myself for showing such a pathetic side of me. An illustrious and sophisticated actor like him would have no chance of falling in love with a clumsy, blind, and ridiculous klutz such as me. Where was the wise and beautiful Jaejoong everyone else knew? Was he ever going to reappear?
I sighed heavily as I took a bite out of the sugary web of cotton candy. I tried my best to stay calm and to keep my eyes away from the downward view; that way, the possibility of acting like a fool in front of Yunho was less frequent.
After a long silence, the stunning actor broke out of his rough exterior and heedlessly spoke to me.
“Now that you don’t have my rumored love interests to write about, you must have something else in mind, right?” He questioned, amazing me with his objective of putting any care into my assignment.
I nodded, groaning. “I did have some ideas in mind.” I replied, still unsure of my thoughts. “I was thinking about writing about your daily life. You know…what happens from the time you wake up to the time you sleep.”
He laughed, probably wondering what a complete fool I was. “My daily life is certainly not as interesting as you think it is.” He clarified. “Besides… won’t your professor be angry that you’re going off into a tangent with your original assignment?”
I rolled my eyes at the strange man. “Thank you very much for taking the time to care about me, but I’ll be perfectly fine with a different assignment.” I remarked. “At least I’m not going to be making up ridiculous rumors about you, isn’t that a start?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“So I can ask you anything from now on?” I questioned curiously. “…with the exception of love, obviously.”
He agreed willingly. “I’m all yours.” He spoke, making me wish that he really was mine. “Feel free to ask me any question.”
It took me a few moments of gazing downward before I came up with a possible solution. Astoundingly, I had survived the Ferris Wheel-a surprise, considering my unpromising fear of heights.
“Favourite food?” I asked, acting like an idiot once again.
He chuckled at my ridiculous question. “You came all the way to Paris to meet an award-winning actor, and all you want to know is his favourite food?”
I gave him a dangerous glare. “I said, favourite food, please.” I demanded.
“Fine, fine.” He gave in to my request almost immediately. “I’d have to say… ramen.”
My mouth flew open. “What the-” I was entirely astonished. “Ramen?” I repeated.
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure it’s not caviar, or champagne… or some rare food that only you can afford?” I asked, completely forgetting what a fool I was making of myself. “But… ramen… why?”
From the tired expression on his face, I could tell that he was getting quite worn-out from my erratic reactions.
“Why not?” He replied. “I’m always working late and traveling… it’s the most convenient food for me to eat. I’ve been taking quite a liking to it.”
I wanted to gag. “But… ramen!”
“I know, ramen.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you.
He chuckled sympathetically. “Well, it came directly from the Actor Jung Yunho-sshi!”
“I like calling you ‘Yunho’ better.”
“You hypocrite.” He responded.
I tried fighting back. “You’re the one’s who’s being a hypocrite!” I accused. “How could an actor like you enjoy such a…lowly…meal?”
“You like it too, don’t you?”
“Only because it’s cheap, you idiot!”
He eyed me skeptically. “Who’s the real idiot?”
“Apparently the both of us!” I shouted, wondering just how foolish we both were. “I never expected an actor like you to be so different.” I explained. “You’re so… hassle-free, and idiotic, of course.”
“Good.” He approved. “Now you have something to write about.”
“Mmhm!” I agreed. “And unlike the rumors, the fact about you being a humungous idiot is 100% true!”
He shrugged. “I guess it is.”
I was amazed at how thick his skin was. Insult after insult, Yunho had refused to care, making me feel a bit low and feeble.
Reminding myself to jot down a few facts about Yunho once I got back to the hotel, I decided to take one last good look at him. He was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a linen shirt, a thin jacket placed over his broad shoulders. There was no outrageous jewelry or designer clothing; just casual, everyday, comfortable apparel.
Surprisingly, this was just how I liked him. The unapproachable appearance was replaced with a casual one, making me feel at ease.
“Yunho-sshi…?” The word escaped my mouth after moments of silence. I wanted to hear the sensual, melodic, and masculine voice once again. I was desperate to do anything just to hear one more syllable escape his lips.
He smirked kindly. “Yes?”
I became nervous as my racing mind began to speed up even faster. “Will you let me stay in Paris?” I asked, my voice quivering. “I know you told me a few hours ago that you wanted me to leave… but I was wondering if you had changed your mind by now.”
He sighed, a look of compassion in his eyes. “Of course you can stay. Didn’t I make my point clear?” He answered. “You still have to finish that assignment of yours, right?”
“Yeah, definitely.” I remarked, realizing what a hopeless journalist I was turning out to be. “But you seemed so angry back there… I really considered leaving Paris.”
The actor frowned, looking into my eyes with a bit of remorse. “Jaejoong…” he murmured, the tone of his voice low. “I had no intention of driving you out of here… especially not knowing how different you were from the other reporters.”
I sighed. “But you would’ve asked me to leave if I was really intended to dig up such personal information about you.” I explained. “And I understand. No one wants to be talked about in negative ways.”
“Glad you understand.” He looked away from me and out the foggy window. However, I could tell that he had meant every word. “I’m so glad you’re willing to change your assignment just for my sake.”
“Anytime, Yunho.”
His face brightened unexpectedly. “And thank you for not using ‘Actor. Jung Yunho-sshi,’ it was really starting to piss me off.”
I snorted. “Oops… what I meant to say was, ‘anytime, Actor Jung Yunho-sshi!’” I held a naughty smile on my face, one of which Yunho responded by giving me an irritated groan.
It was so warm in the tiny compartment that I almost forgot about the harsh damp weather outdoors. Looking out the window, I realized that it was raining; the droplets of water shining like diamonds upon the dark silhouette of the city. The town below us was so extravagant and stunning that for a moment there, I didn’t consider the Ferris Wheel such a horrible ride anymore.
And with Yunho there-not intimidating me at all-I felt completely tranquil, letting the overflowing serenity overwhelm me.
As the millions of raindrops continued plummeting from the sky, I could feel our compartment on the wheel lower as well. Although Yunho wasn’t especially close to me, I could feel his warmth sail amidst the compartment, making my heart feel at ease.
Before the two of us knew it, the ride had come to a conclusion, the wheel now still and the door of our compartment open. Yunho and I prepared to step out, our hands meeting by mistake as we both reached for the door.
Immediately as I left the compartment, I was engulfed by rain, my hair wet and my jeans soaked with water. I was terrifyingly cold, and I shivered uncontrollably, trying to rid myself of the sudden chill.
The actor beside me looked as attractive as ever in the pouring rain. His dark hair and eyelashes were tainted with crystals of rainfall, making his eyes glisten among the dark background of the city.
“Jaejoong?” I was so unconditionally blinded by him that I was unable to hear what he had previously said.
“Huh?” I asked, confused.
“I said…” He rudely repeated. “We should hurry back to the hotel. We’ll catch a cold if we stay out here.”
I agreed, telling myself to pay better attention. “Do you happen to have an umbrella?”
He glared at me as if he had never seen a bigger idiot in his life. He held out his empty hands. “Did I look like I was carrying an umbrella all this time?”
“Right.” I replied. “Sorry.” Glasses should be considered an option for me if I continued acting like this.
Swiftly, the actor’s hands met mine; holding them tightly while leading me back into the direction the hotel. My ankle became exceptionally wet as my shoes crashed into the many puddles, sending large amounts of water up my way. I swore at the rain, telling it to stop falling as I desperately ran together with Yunho.
After the first set of thunder sounded off in the distance, I began to shiver, making my legs slow down a bit from my painstaking run. Yunho turned around and stared at me in compassion, he himself slowing down as well.
He took off his light jacket and halted. “Here.” He placed the jacket on my shoulders. “You must be freezing from that thin t-shirt you’re wearing.”
I intentionally wanted to push him away and tell him to keep the jacket for himself. However, his warm breath sitting at my nape and the comfortable jacket placed on top of me eventually persuaded me to abandon the thought altogether. “Thanks.” I felt indebted for his kind actions. “You’re very considerate for A-list actor.” I added, completely speaking my mind.
He didn’t reply me in words-he only smiled, and then regained possession of my hand and continued running through the rain. No matter how utterly tired I was, I was still able to find the strength deep inside me to continuously follow him. I kept my eyes glued to his backside, not willing to look away from his beautifully sculpted shoulders.
Apparently, my favourite food was Ramen as well, I thought as we ran into the cold, rainy night.
I was very disappointed with this chapter. I feel like the plot is progressing too fast… especially because they went on a “date” with each other the same day they met each other. I know this was very rushed, but I really wanted to make sure I updated on time. I know you’re all disappointed with me, especially because of my rushing.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m going too slow and sometimes, I feel like I’m going too fast. Is there a cure for this? Aish… the paranoia is killing me T.T
I’ll try to spend more time on the next update. I don’t want this fic to become a washed-over, clichéd, meaningless story. I want the plot to progress well, yet at the same time, have readers interested in it. I want it to match up to my ability… but sometimes, I feel that my ability is a bit bland and dull.
Please comment and offer me some feedback. Criticisms are welcome as well. They would really help me improve and therefore provide you guys with a better story.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this fic. Sorry for the super slow updates D=
~Cindy
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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