Simple | IM JAEBUM

i. Jinyoung Park Academy of the Arts

Gif isn't mine.

*

Pretend it's Big Hit High School.

Adjusting the tie of her uniform as she frowned at what she saw―or, what she didn't see―in the mirror, Lee Seonjae raised her chin and decided today would not be in her favor.

Things always became easier when she did that.

Her skirt swayed as she left for the front yard. Maids and butlers were in her path, her bag, ID, jacket, and bracelet on hand. The bracelet, she only entrusted to Junghui-unnie.

"I'll tell you immediately if they do something worth strangling them for." She muttered with a gentle smile.

Seonjae resisted the urge to smile back. "Please have the practice room ready when I come back."

"Good morning, Seonjae-nim." her driver smiles, holding the car door open. She almost let the surprise show if she hadn't remembered where they were headed off to. She drawled a greeting of her own.

The silence in the Audi was cut by someone calling the car directly. The shrill ringing made her sigh through her nose, straining to check her irritation.

The driver answered the call. "Good morning, President."

"Good morning," responded a curt, aged voice. "Is she with you?"

"Yes, sir..." he half-heartedly glanced back to her. She was already glaring at him. He tore his eyes back to the road.

"Behave yourself, please." the president continued, as if he could see her at that moment. Seonjae resisted the urge to shudder. "If you can't even do that around your own driver, then you'll be problematic at your school."

"Exactly, harabuji." she said. Become problematic enough to be expelled; repeat it for the other school she gets shipped off to; return to Big Hit High School. It was easy enough to do when you were the sole successor of a businessman familiar with both Park Jinyoung and Bang Sihyuk.

Her grandfather scoffed, the most beautiful sound she heard all day. "The point, Seonjae, is that you exercise interdependence, not co-dependence. You must do it correctly, or else don't bother do it at all. Giving the weight of your career to someone else, much less a boy group, is impractical and wrong."

She clenched her jaw, disinclined to give him the satisfaction of breaking her first thing this morning. "Let's agree to disagree that arguing right now inconveniences both of us, as I'm sure you have company as well. I promise I'll behave."

"Will you?"

"No." she leaned over and ended the call. Her driver only gaped.

JYPA was just like its elementary school counterpart―except better. An imposing white arc stood to greet her, with the name of the building written elegantly in gold. Walls flanked either side, stretching out to surround the grounds like the arms of a mother... Well, if the things she heard about JYP PD-nim were right, there was some truth in that.

The benches in the courtyard amounted to well past forty, making her stomach churn even more. She gripped the strap of her bag tighter, making a good show of hiding that hand under her jacket as she continued to walk.

"Hello." The black haired woman behind the desk said, seeing her approach.

"Good morning." Seonjae smiles a perfected shy smile. "I'm a transfer student from Big Hit High School. I was told to pick up a schedule here...?"

The receptionist thoughtfully paused, then crouched under the desk. Seonjae made a show of being restless, glancing around at the students, at security cameras, fidgeting and shifting on her feet, until the lady appeared again with a short white folder in her hand.

"Here is your schedule, with the password to your locker and names of other people to approach, student and teacher alike." she smiled. Seonjae knew she was obligated to treat every new student like that. "Our welcoming committee offers splendid service for exchange and transfer students. Would you like to be assisted for today?"

"You have a welcoming committee...?" the hardest part of modeling is smiling, and she felt grateful for being trained in it, that the one she wore seemed like an innocent, polite one―directly opposite to how she truly felt. She couldn't feel grateful, however, that she sounded genuinely rude anyway.

The receptionist nodded, though her eye twitched in what Seonjae could've interpreted as annoyance. She would preen, if it was. "Yes. As much as possible, we aim to allow trainees, transfers, and exchange students fulfill their expectations in coming here."

She nods, squinting at the timetable like she was another enthusiastic perfectionist innocent to JYPA. "That's very nice of you... Does the Den have that as well?"

The instant the receptionist's expression changed, a satisfying tingle raced up Seonjae's neck. Toys!

"Right." she went on, sighing dejectedly. "I guess the opening performances are the closest a welcoming committee can get..."

If her grandfather or any of his employed subordinates were here, seeing them bristle would've already made Seonjae's day, but alas... "Welcome to JYP Academy, Lee Seonjae-ssi."

She allowed delight to shimmer on her face as she saw the small silver box in the receptionist's hand. "Thank you."

She promptly left the room. Where being a nuisance was involved, it was a common mistake to overwhelm the target, but it was actually better to poke the beast from different spots, nibbling at its strength before delivering the killing blow. At least, better for her.

Seonjae felt the hard surface of the books hit her side before she heard them fall to the ground, followed by a sheepish, soft male voice yelping. "Sorry!"

Her half smile slithered onto her lips when she recognized that face. "It's okay. I'm―I'm okay." she patted his hand, reining her excitement back. "Do you need help with that?"

He was bent awkwardly under the mess of notebooks and books in his arms. A music notebook was about to slip, and she grabbed it, particularly by the cover, to have a reason to see the contents. She raised her eyes to him, feigning innocence. "You're an idol."

It wasn't a question, but he still nodded, one cautious eye on the irresponsible way she held his notebook. "Yes, I am. Are you one as well?"

"Yes." she said, with a mouth that suddenly didn't feel like hers. Something was roaring, shrieking in her ears. "Here, hand me some of that so you can sort properly."

He obliged, and she let herself study him, despite the eyes she began to sense on them. It couldn't be him; it couldn't be that easy. If it was, then he looked strange with a different hair color. He was more good looking than the TV in Big Hit made him out to be...

Seonjae returned the rest of his things. "A bit too studious for an idol, aren't you?"

He laughed. "That is a part of the work."

She drew her lips into a line, nodding in agreement for the sake of being polite. "Well, I don't want to hold you back on wherever you're going, so I'll just see you around."

A vow. And a challenge, if he was smart enough to recognize it.

He nodded kindly, and then they went in different directions. Seonjae placed one side of her headphones on her ear when she heard. "My name is Im Jaebum."

She fought down the feeling of triumph, and fit the other side just as he asked for her name.

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I have a very annoying tendency to edit this every time I get back, I know. For that I'm sorry and I will understand whether you want anything to do with this story or not.

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