The Prince and the Rose (Liskook) (on hold)

Begin

It's funny how Life plays the most cruel tricks on people without those involved even aware.

There they were, two kids with very little in common at first sight, and by some wicked twist of fate, their destinies were irrevocably intertwined the moment they ended up in the same classroom one autumn after his eighth birthday. 

It is just as well that they were both oblivious to their futures because years later, Jungkook would think that maybe it would have been better if they never met at all.

If it meant he wouldn't be experiencing the overwhelming heartbreak and grief that had him drowning like a shipwrecked sailor in a storm, it would have been better he never laid eyes on her.

He was a quiet boy, preoccupied with his studies, devoting his spare time between his love of sketching and his love for his six hyungs who would join him for a game of soccer during break time.

She was a class clown from overseas who threw his carefully structured school life into disarray with her antics.

There was never a dull day since her arrival, not when the blonde bounded into the classroom at least ten minutes late every day, explaining how she had stopped to admire the clouds, or observe a snail as it laid its eggs, or helped a bird fly back to its nest or skimming stones at the pond to watch how the ripples spread on the water surface when the stone sank.

Her knees were perpetually covered with scabs; she was forever tripping and falling. Her lanky, leggy build did not help her in the gracefulness department—whenever she moved, expect a torrent of papers to tip off the edge of a desk, a cascade of books to fall out of lockers or cafeteria trays to go flying, with juice trickling down her face as she laughed and laughed.

Her laugh was like sunshine—bright, warm and bold, contagious in ways that he wouldn't admit, not until much, much later.

For a short while, at least until she took notice of him, Jungkook would remain rather disgruntled by the clumsy girl with her tomboyish tendencies (she raced with boys, participated in spitting contests and even wrestled with them in the school playground) and her exuberant chatter.

The professors had gotten used to her quite quickly and since she was quite smart and was surprisingly amongst the top scorers in class, they had gotten lax with their admonishments although she was frequently told off for talking in class.

Lalisa Manoban rang out several times throughout the day with different intonations and levels of exasperation. Jungkook even had dreams of his teachers calling her out but all she did was giggle in their faces.

He watched the girl from afar, slightly annoyed and wary of her loud, boisterous behaviour. She talked to everyone and guffawed at every joke. She literally vibrated in her chair, unable to sit still: she was forever tapping her feet, her pencil, her fingers. Her eyes twitched and blinked endlessly and she spoke very rapidly, firing words like bullets. Her eyes sparkled like dew on winter mornings.

Jungkook almost had a heart attack once when she plopped down in front of him one fine Thursday during break in between lessons and let out a loud gasp that almost made him jump out of his skin. He had been so focused on his drawing he hadn't noticed her approach him.

"You can draw!"

Jungkook blinked behind his glasses. She was looking at him with such fervent admiration he was sure his face was on fire with the way heat was rushing to his head. He glanced around him nervously; he didn't like parading the fact that he drew. It was something he was still very much shy about sharing with the rest of his boisterous classmates.

"Uh, yeah...yeah...."

"That's so cool!" She gushed at his drawing of the little bunny. "Is he from a cartoon? I watch a lot, I love cartoons! Tom and Jerry is my favourite and I love Tom because I love cats but then I love Looney Tunes too, the classic ones not the more modern ones eww they're stupid do you watch them? I love Road Runner he always wins against that stupid coyote and of course I love Bugs Bunny I mean who hates him but then there's that Daffy Duck oh did you know he has his own series Duck Dodgers I love that too! There's more cartoons too!"

He shook his head. "Uh...it's...like, I see a story in my head, um...I make characters up...and draw them..."

"Wahh, that's amazing," she laughed, "I wouldn't be able to do that. Coming up with characters from my imagination, I mean. It's hard trying to nail down a picture in my head and then having the picture going down my hand and finally draw itself out through the pencil ugghh it's hard to squeeze it out, like squeezing an orange."

She mimed squeezing an orange on a squeezer, pulling a face and giggling.

He glanced up at her again. "You...you draw?"he asked shyly.

"Not as good as you, in fact I don't really draw," she said wistfully. "I like colouring better and you know—"

She seemed about to say something else but just then the bell rang and she had to move back to her seat. But before she left, she beamed and gave him a thumbs up.

"Keep it up Kookie!"

"Uh...thanks..." he said in a daze as she bounced back to her chair.

Later that evening, safely tucked in his bed he pulled out his sketchbook again and flipped to the page where the buff, pink bunny waved at him.

Without even realising, Jungkook's face broke into a grin as he replayed the (one-sided) conversation he had with the girl in the morning. He took a pen, uncapped it and scribbled a name next to the bunny.

"I think I'll name you Cooky..." Jungkook said and switched off the lamp, the smile still tugging at his mouth as he closed his eyes.