Kaleidoscope

Ella Brights was a pretty, American exchange student with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was tanned, toned and looked like every teenage boy’s wet dream. It was obvious that she’d become yours the minute you laid eyes on her.

“Who is that?” You murmured when we were waiting in line at the cafeteria. It was week five of my stay in Gangnam and we’d taken to hanging out almost everywhere together. There was safety in numbers here, everyone knew that.

I turned to see the long legged teen-model walk into the lunch room. She was wearing a pair of daisy dukes over coloured tights, and a checked shirt that reached past her elbows. Her hair was loose and a draft from the air conditioning blew this across her face like in those movies. I bet that in your eyes and that of every other boy in the room that day, all of that was happening in slow motion.

Tae Young elbowed you in the ribs, eyes glued onto this foreign beauty. “That’s Ella Brights. She’s on home stay with Oh Tae Joon.”

“She’s staying with Oh Tae Joon?” You asked, incredulous. I swear I could actually see you salivating. A bright flame of jealousy flared to life and I was instantly ashamed. What right did I have to you, Joong Myun? What right did I have to want you to stay with me, to stay just mine?

Tae Young simply nodded.

Hands gripping the sides of my tray, I rolled my eyes. “Oh gods, stop ogling her like puppies. If you want her, go talk to her.”

Tae Young turned to face me. “You’re kidding me. What can we possibly say to her?”

“If you paid enough attention in your elective English Language courses, you wouldn’t have any problem with that now would you?”

Tae Young looked taken aback but he just shook his head. “I’d forget my own middle name, trying to talk to that.”

I glanced at you, thinking that you’d be just as shy but the empty air that greeted me made my stomach drop and heart want to give out. You were already half way across the cafeteria, dimpled smile turned on, eyes zeroed in on this Ella Brights that I suddenly hated.

“He’s going to talk to her!” Tae Young murmured; eyes wide. I couldn’t reply. I was as shocked as he was. You didn’t speak a word of English back then. How you expected to converse with this American was a mystery. But sure enough, Joong Myun, by the time we had served our lunch trays and made our way to our usual table, you were sitting there with Ella Brights – deadly charming.

When we got to the table, you looked up and motioned to Tae Young, then me, “My friends- Iseul and Tae Young.” I was surprised to hear you speak Korean.

Ella Brights turned those brilliant blue eyes on us and beamed. She looked as enamoured by your attention as you seemed by hers. And she’d only just known you for ten seconds. I shuddered to think what it would’ve been like had it been longer.

Speaking carefully, but without mistake, she stood to greet us and then sat back down. By the time lunch hour had ended, a dejected looking Tae Young and I left you to your conversations with Ella. You both seemed so smitten with one another that it hurt to look. Quite literally, in fact.

When prom night came around, Ella Brights hung on to your arm with a mega-watt smile and beautiful evening dress. That was the night you won Prom King, Joong Myun, do you remember? I’m sure you wouldn’t remember the dress I wore– a midnight blue knee, length formal dress that everyone said I looked beautiful in. I even gave in to Umma Eun Jin’s requests to put on make up. But you had eyes only for Ella Brights and no one else. It hurt a little but that was okay, I guess.

You were still the handsomest boy in that room.

Afterwards though, just when I’d managed to convince myself that you – the only reason I even contemplated coming to the prom for – had no time for me, you showed up at my table with two glasses of punch in your hands and a wicked grin.

“Princess Iseul...” you said, leaning close. I caught a whiff of the whiskey in your breath and couldn’t help but take a step back. My flight or fight instincts flared to life. Appa hit me only when he drank – a habit that taught me to both hate and fear the smell of alcohol.

“You are drunk,” I stated this quite plainly. You grabbed the seat next to me and laughed. “Of course I am. Why shouldn’t I be? It is a night to have fun, is it not?”

I squinted at you but said nothing. I certainly wasn’t having any fun.

“Come on, let’s go dance.” Shooting to your feet, you pulled me to mine and towards the dance floor. Terrified that I’d make a fool of myself, I dug my heels in and tried to pull away. It didn’t help at all. Before I knew it, we were standing in the middle of the dance floor, your hands snaking around my waist and pulling me close. I wonder now whether you could have heard my heart beating so loudly in my chest, or felt my sweaty palms through your tuxedo jacket.

“Where is Ella?” I asked, trying to keep from looking into your eyes for too long. You had touched your forehead to mine and was swaying softly to the waltz music playing overhead.

“She had somewhere she had to be,” you grinned. I couldn’t stop fighting the urge to flee whenever your alcohol infused breath hit me. Reluctantly, I smiled back.

“We really shouldn’t be dancing this close. The others might get the wrong impression.”

Making a face, you waved the thought away. “Who cares what the others think? You’re my princess and I’m your warrior and that’s all that matters right now.”

I literally had to focus on drawing my next breath. After a couple of more songs, I tried to pull away but you wouldn’t let me. “Let’s dance some more,” you insisted. I shook my head. The dance floor was getting crowded and being so close to you was doing strange things to my head, and my body. I didn’t dare tempt fate a moment longer standing there the way we were.

“I need to get a drink,” I blurted out. Your eyes widened but you said nothing. Instead, grasping my hand tightly, you let me lead us out of the crowd and towards the punch bowls. “The cherry one is nice,” you said, pointing. I followed your advice and took a glass, heart still pounding loudly in my ears. You were drunk, and I was getting lightheaded just standing this close to you. I had to get away soon if I wanted to keep my head about me.

“Princess Iseul,” you murmured suddenly. I jumped when I realized just how close you were standing then. Gulping down the drink, I placed the glass back on the table and tried to sidle away from you. But you held both your hands out to the table, effectively trapping me. When I looked up, your eyes had sort of glazed over and you couldn’t stop staring at me.

“Joon Myun?” I tried. You were drunk, you were drunk, you were drunk, I had to keep telling myself. I couldn’t compromise your reputation, and our friendship, if I followed my body and did exactly what it wanted to do. It was a hard thing to ask of myself, you know.

But it seemed as if I didn’t have to do anything. The moment your eyes locked onto mine, you took a minuscule step closer and kissed me.