HEART TO HEART 1/2
It was hard for Gayoon—really, really, really hard for her to keep it up. With the frequent joking around, to-die-for smiles, adorable laughter, and that stunningly gorgeous voice balled up into the bouncy boy that was Yang Yoseob, it could have given anyone a hard time. What made it worse for her was that she was labelmates with him, practically best friends with him, and they were main vocals for their respective groups—that meant if the two groups were to band together for a project, they'd get paired up for the chorus and maybe even the bridge. She'd already had a struggle not to blush so obviously when they filmed their promotion for Jeju Island. The boy's typical charm plus his comical "Ola!"-ing kept her laughing, and Gayoon had to use the warming weather as an excuse for her red face. If that had her melting then what more when they sang a cover of 's If You Have a Lover. Together. Alone. With no other members. In the recording studio.
After filming, Gayoon was watching a fast draft of the video the team was to release of their duet. Her lips automatically pulled up into a grin at seeing Yoseob's crazy antics while she'd been singing. Then she looked at herself in the video, silently disappointed that she appeared so plain and boring next to him. She had her reason, of course, for focusing so much on the lyrics or the camera—and that reason was none other than the male singer himself. In truth she didn't need a copy of the song in front of her face. So many times her gaze moved to the corner of her vision, at the then-blonde one that kept moving around with silly gestures and whimsical expressions, and she'd force herself to look back at the paper or smile at the cam. When filming came to the part that it was just her inside the room, Gayoon felt a bit at ease, only to become uptight again when she found Yoseob watching her with an amused face outside the glass window.
She touched her cheeks, reverting her attention back to the video. The song was ending and she hovered the mouse on the x to close it, when she heard bits of dialogue caught in.
"Was I supposed to sing that part?" came her voice.
"Yah, I think I'm going crazy~"
"Why? Why?"
"There's a mistake here…"
The video finished and Gayoon was left staring at the black portion of the laptop screen, amused that their short exchange was included. She still felt the heat of Yoseob's gentle hand on her shoulder from when he had pushed her away to get closer to the microphone. Her face grew warm and her expression dropped, aware again of her situation and how careless she was being to have let her emotions get this close to the boy she treasured as her brother.
That's right. Her brother. Beast and 4minute were a family, even the fans said so, and the B2uties and 4nia members were loyal to that family. "4minute unnis, if you're going to pair up for joint stages, pair with B2ST!" "No other team besides B2ST!" One B2uty even stated to the group, "If you are going to get in a scandal, get in one with the 4minute unnis!" These comments created a stir and became a news article for online entertainment news sites, and the Cube stars were just relieved that their supporters agreed with their close relationships. But it got Gayoon thinking. It irritated her that she had those feelings for Yoseob, her brother, then it always came as a surprise to her to remember that he wasn't really her brother. It became a liberating thought that it wasn't a crime to like him, but then she feared that he thought of her as just a sister figure. It was likely, and that disheartened her. Gayoon's only consoling thoughts were that although she was a sister to him like the other Cube girls, she was also a best friend to him.
Yoseob was the first one to visit her after her eye surgery. She had been sitting up on the cot when he rushed in. Though one eye was blinded by an eye patch and the other blurred with tears, Gayoon managed to catch the anxious expression the boy had on his face and, if what she thought was true, the slight moist of his eyes.
"Thank God you're okay!" he said when he pulled her into a hug.
She could only smile at him when he released her and grabbed the stool near the cot.
"Does it hurt?" he asked softly.
She nodded. It did hurt very much. Just then she felt warm tears gathering in her eyes again and her lip trembled and a small sob came out.
"No, no, don't cry!" Yoseob said affectionately. He'd barely sat down and he sprung up again to wipe spilled tears from her cheeks with the back of one hand and hold her hands in the other.
He also seemed very protective the night they'd met in the company building after Gayoon and Junhyung recorded and filmed as part of the "Group of 20" singing for the G20 Summit.
"You sang with Jonghyun from SHINee?" he asked in a tone so different from when he cheerfully inquired about what they did that afternoon. "Why didn't you ask to sing with Junnie hyung?"
"He's a rapper!" was her reply.
"You know he sings too!"
"Well, he was rapping for that song!"
Yoseob's face molded into an angry pout, and he crossed both arms over his chest in stubborn defeat.
"What's the fuss, Yoseob?" she said with a laugh. "It's just one song. And we only had four lines together. Really."
"But you were recording and filming and standing with one another for hours!"
HEART TO HEART 2/2
Gayoon crash landed back to reality and found herself lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Unconsciously her fingers went to her face, and she realized she'd been smiling. It was Yoseob on her mind for sure, and she bit her lip. If someone could make her automatically happy and nervous at the mere thought of that person, then it had to be beyond the sisterly love she argued with herself to have for him. Gayoon covered her face with both hands and tried to keep her thoughts empty until Hyuna passed by and told her it was time to leave. Hastily she got up and brushed her hair.
"Unni, could you call Jihyun unni and tell her we're on our way to the company building?"
The vocalist nodded and pressed her speed dial for Jihyun's number. She and the three other members rushed out of their condo unit and got into the elevator. Of course there was no signal there, so Gayoon kept her phone to her ear until it sounded as they stepped out into the lobby.
"I love you," saying those words just once. "I love you," hearing those words just once. Thanks so much for coming to me, you being next to me. My only love, baby baby baby baby boo~
Gayoon's eyebrows knit together. Why was Jihyun's ringback tone the If You Have a Lover duet cover by Yoseob and herself? It took another second before the call was picked up.
"JIhyun-ah!" Gayoon said immediately. "We're on the way to the company building! What time is your schedule going to—" She stopped herself upon hearing a low chuckle from the other end. "Hello?"
The chuckling grew louder and high pitched. "Gayoonie, wrong number!"
The girl's eyes widened. "Yoseob?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry! I thought I pressed Jihyun's speed dial!" Gayoon looked at the screen, and surely enough it was Yoseob's name on it, along with the photo he so confidently took of himself on her phone one time.
"Does that mean I'm on your speed dial too?" Yoseob wondered excitedly.
"Why is our duet your ring—"
"Gayoon, have you told Jihyun?" Jiyoon demanded as they got on the van.
Gayoon shook her head then spoke quickly to Yoseob. "I need to call Jihyun. Bye, Yoseob!"
"Wait, you're coming here, right?"
She assumed he meant the company building. "Yeah."
"Okay, see you later! Bye, Yoonie!"
The three younger members looked at Gayoon as she dropped the call and stared at her lap, her cheeks glowing a radiant red.
"Was that Yoseob oppa?" Sohyun asked.
She nodded. "Wrong number."
The maknae looked at Hyuna. They both smirked and began to sing. "Let's have a heart to heart to heart, talk!" All the members were suspicious of Gayoon's ~different~ feelings and attitude toward Yoseob, and the girl's rosy appearance then took them a step closer to deciding whether their suspicions were true or not.
"Sssshhh!" Gayoon was flustered. "I'm going to call Jihyun!"
After hours of practice, the 4Minute girls freshened up and went to the common lounge. The Beast boys were there too, taking a break from recording. Gayoon was the last to enter the room, and when she stepped in, a choir of voices sang out:
"It's because of you, girl! You don't know this, girl! The more I look at you every day the more I miss you, why am I like this?"
The boys were singing their song for the soundtrack of My Princess. Gayoon looked at them innocently then smiled, thinking this was for fun. She didn't notice the boys giving smug looks at the other girls and urging Yoseob to sing with them. Yoseob, eager to join the fun, sang along, his voice outshining the rest.
"What you call love, girl! I didn't know about, girl! Now that I know I will confess, my girl. All you have to do is stay with me like you're doing now, oh my shiny girl. Baby baby, want you want you, girl!"
The five other boys stopped and gave each other looks of satisfaction. Yoseob pouted and even whined that it was over too soon. But he forgot it quickly and bounced over to Gayoon, taking her hand like a child.
"Gayoonie, let's get ice cream!" His eyes were big and pleading.
Her hand relaxed in his and she laughed. "Ice cream in between recording is bad for your throat." She pat him on the head.
He frowned and quickly pulled away from Gayoon. Yoseob was at Jihyun's side in an instant. "Nam-leader, buy me ice cream," he said with the same pleading expression, also holding her hand.
Gayoon watched her best friend get his request rejected and come back to her with a bigger frown. He looked at her and his face shone again.
"Let's get water, then!" Yoseob slipped his hand into hers and pulled her to the door.
They went to the corridor, and just before the doors closed behind the two, the others left in the lounge began to sing again.
"Let's have a heart to heart to heart," the girls began.
"Talk!" the boys belted, then rumbled into loud laughter.
As they walked, Yoseob hummed the continuation of the song, probably had it stuck in his head. The water dispenser was at the end of the hall, and Gayoon kept silent, basking in the warmth of her hand in Yoseob's while listening to his humming that grew louder.
Finally, he sang. "Let's have a heart to heart to heart, talk! Look me directly in the eyes and tell me. Don't twist your words, don't make me mad—" He tugged at her hand, causing her to face him. "—Now heart to heart, you and I. Heart to heart to heart."
Gayoon smiled, ready to applaud him, but was distracted as Yoseob opened his other hand, revealing two silver rings resting on his palm. She looked closer and saw that one of them had the words heart to heart engraved on the inside, while the smaller ring said you and I. Gayoon looked at Yoseob, who lost all his bubbly confidence, who was red to his ears and forehead, who looked back at her with his bright brown orbs, wishing to convey that message he couldn't bring his lips to utter. She let go of his hand and enveloped him in a hug.
Yoseob smiled like he'd never smiled before and slid the ring on Gayoon's finger. After wearing his own ring he began to walk again to the water dispenser. Gayoon fell into step with him and held his hand, their fingers entwined together.