CHAPTER 1 :
Jang Hyunseung sighed, looking around him tiredly. It was the first day of one of BEAST's rare weeks off, and while the others wanted to go to the mall, he opted to stay home. However, the empty dorm wasn't the same without his loud and childish friends, and he slightly regretted turning down their offer to come along.
He found himself wandering through a nearby park, thankful that his disguise worked for once. Hyunseung had always thought that the idea of wearing sunglasses and dark clothing was like inviting people to stare, especially when the group was already obnoxiously loud. So today, he dressed in simple jeans and a plain jacket, letting his hair cover his eyes. Nobody had attacked him yet, so he figured his disguise worked.
Spotting a couple benches, he trudged over, sitting down and groaning loudly. The past week had been brutal, and even though he loved dancing, Hyunseung was exhausted and sore from all the practice they did.
He leaned back, tilting his head up to look at the cloudless blue sky. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, and before he knew it, fell asleep.
Hyunseung woke up to someone shaking his shoulder gently. Bleary-eyed, he looked up to see a girl standing there with headphones in her ears peering down at him.
"Crap!" He shot up suddenly, looking around to realize that the sun was setting. "What time is it?"
Hyunseung frantically searched his pockets for his phone, but groaned when he realized it was in the dorm. "They're going to kill me," he muttered.
A soft hand touched his arm, and he looked up to see the girl again, slight concern in her eyes. "Gwenchana?" she asked.
"Omo..." Hyunseung studied her for a moment. She didn't look like a fangirl to him, with the textbook she was holding. It didn't even seem like she recognized him, and it bothered him slightly, but he quickly squashed the feeling when an idea came to mind.
"Do you have a cell phone I can borrow?" he asked, making a calling motion with his hand.
The girl smiled, pulling out a slim black phone out of her pocket. She handed it to him, and Hyunseung absentmindedly noted that it was the same model as his phone as he dialed Doojoon's number.
"Yobeoseyo?"
"Hyung? It's me, Hyunseung."
"Hyunseung! Where are you? We came back from the mall earlier, but you weren't home... It's almost seven!" Doojoon's voice sounded worried over the phone.
"Yah, I kind of fell asleep in the park, but I'm coming home now," he replied.
"Bballi, bballi!" Yoseob's voice chimed in. "Junhyung's making galbi tonight!"
"Araso, araso," Hyunseung replied, ending the call.
"Gamsahabnida," he said, bowing as he returned the phone.
The girl simply smiled at him again as she put the phone in her pocket, giving him a wave goodbye as she walked in the opposite direction.
"Strange girl," he murmured, watching for a minute as she walked away, before turning back and heading home.
CHAPTER 2 :
The next day, Hyunseung woke up to a quiet dorm. Looking to his sides, he saw Kikwang and Junhyung snoring lightly, and silently crept out of his bunk. A quick peek to the top bunks revealed three sleeping figures, and he couldn't help but chuckle quietly at their positions. Dongwoon was stretched across the foot of all three bunks, while Yoseob was curled up in a fetal position with his pillow. And Doojoon... he snickered. Their beloved leader was on his stomach, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.
He pulled on a pair of sweats over his boxers as he slipped out of the bedroom, stretching and yawning. It was only around nine-thirty, and knowing how his friends hadn't slept until three in the morning, Hyunseung didn't expect any of them to wake up soon. Putting on a windbreaker and running shoes, he quickly scribbled a note and pinned it to the refrigerator:
I'm going out for a run. I'll bring back some lunch when I come back.
~Hyunseung
Making sure to put his wallet and phone in his pocket this time, he grabbed his MP3 player and quietly left BEAST's dorm. Unconsciously, he let his feet lead him along a familiar path, and he stopped when he saw the benches he slept on the day before. He stood there staring at the bench for a moment before shaking his head slightly; he didn't know why he suddenly thought of that girl who woke him up. He put the earbuds in his ears and let the music play, continuing on his run.
"Aish, why aren't they picking up?" Hyunseung ended the call with a sigh as he was directed to voicemail for the fifth time. None of the other members answered his call, but he thought they were probably still asleep. It was only noon after all, and considering how heavy they tended to sleep, he didn't think any of them would wake up before two in the afternoon.
Looking at the shelves of instant food in front of him, he furrowed his eyebrows, wondering if he should just buy take out. He was at the supermarket, and he knew that his cooking, while edible, wasn't exactly the best tasting stuff in the world. On the other hand, Hyunseung wasn't exactly eager to eat instant food on his second day off.
Finally making up his mind, he turned away from the packaged ramen, but suddenly felt something hard collide with his jaw.
"Yah, watch it!" he growled, rubbing the area with his hand. He turned to glare at the person who hit him, but was shocked when his eyes landed on a girl rubbing her head. Blinking, he suddenly realized that it was the same girl from yesterday.
"Mianhe, mianhe!" the girl apologized, wincing as she rubbed her head. "I'm really sorry!"
"Oh... um, it's okay," he muttered, averting his eyes when he saw her finally look up at him. "It was an accident."
"Wait... aren't you...?" Hyunseung groaned internally. He knew his luck would run out; not one person recognized him yesterday and today, and he was never fortunate enough to escape recognition for more than a few hours. He braced himself for the inevitable screaming and hugging, but was surprised when he heard her say, "You're the person from the park yesterday, right?"
He glanced up to see her looking at him curiously, but looked away. "Ah... yeah, thanks again for letting me borrow your phone," he said quietly, still not meeting her gaze. He cursed himself for letting his shyness overtake him again, wishing he could be more confident.
"Don't worry about it," the girl said, and even through Hyunseung wasn't looking at her directly, he could still see the smile on her face from the edge of his vision.
"Let me treat you to lunch to make it up to you," he suddenly blurted out, his eyes widening in shock when the words came from his mouth. 'What the hell possessed me to say that?'
The girl's eyes widened, before she shook her head, saying, "No, don't worry about it! I only lent you my phone, it's not a big deal."
"Please?" Hyunseung couldn't seem to stop himself from talking, and he cringed inside at how nervous his voice sounded. "You really saved me yesterday, and I just want to say thanks."
She studied at him for a couple moments, before smiling. "How about this; if I ever 'save' you again, I'll let you treat me to lunch. Lending you my phone doesn't really measure up to a meal, anyways."
He nodded, but couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when she rejected his offer. For all he knew, he'd never see this girl again, but could only smile back at her tentatively. "Alright," he agreed reluctantly.
She gave him a grin, and said, "I'll see you around, then!"
He gave her a small wave, saying "bye" as she disappeared into another aisle.
Glancing once more at the rows of cup ramen and microwaveable meals, he made his way to the exit. Right before he reached the door, he spotted the girl paying at the register, and inwardly smiled to himself before walking out of the supermarket.
CHAPTER 3 :
"Aish, pabo-hyungs," Kikwang muttered.
At his side, Hyunseung smiled and shook his head. Once again, Doojoon and Yoseob had tricked Kikwang into doing laundry duty with him. Hyunseung had thought that after what had happened on "Idol Maid," Kikwang would've learned by now not to trust the "rock paper scissors" method, especially with those two. 'Some people never learn...'
"At least we washed the blankets before with Bongsun-noona," Hyunseung said as they walked into the laundromat together. "Washing clothes isn't much different, right?" He went over to the detergent dispenser, slipping coins into the slot for the soap packets.
Furrowing his eyebrows, he counted the number of soap packets he bought. 'One, two, three...' He turned around, saying, "Hey Kikwang, how many loads- eh?"
Blinking in surprise, he saw a girl talking to Kikwang, who was smiling like an idiot. While the girl's back was facing him, he could tell that she was cute-particularly from the silly grin on Kikwang's face. "Flirting again?" Hyunseung sighed to himself, walking over to the pair.
As he came closer, he heard the girl saying, "You have to separate your dark and light clothes, otherwise the colors will bleed and stain the light clothing. I once put a red shirt with my white clothing, and all my clothes turned pink..."
"Chincha? Then can you help me? I haven't done this before." Kikwang flashed her a sheepish grin, and Hyunseung rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Yah, stop flirting!" he said, slapping Kikwang on the upside of his head.
"Hyung~!" Kikwang pouted, but Hyunseung was too shocked to notice his whining.
"Bwoh? Aren't you... ?" It was the same girl from the supermarket, and from the park. And like the previous two times they had met, she had headphones in her ears, the wire connecting to an MP3 player in the pocket of her shorts.
"Yeah," the girl said, chuckling. "Small world, isn't it? This is our third consecutive day bumping into each other."
"Eh? You know each other?" Kikwang looked between the two, his eyes comically wide.
"Um, yeah, kind of," Hyunseung said, smiling back at her hesitantly. "I... I forgot to introduce myself yesterday, my name's Hyunseung, and this is my friend Kikwang. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Miyoung, it's nice to meet you guys, too," she replied. Turning to Kikwang, she said playfully, "I guess you don't really need my help, huh?"
"U-u-uh," Kikwang stuttered, his cheeks tinted pink. "I-"
"Chill, I'm just teasing," she laughed at the look on his face, before grinning at Hyunseung again. "Well, since you obviously know what you're doing, I have to get going; my laundry's done. It was nice seeing you again, Hyunseung-ssi, and it was nice meeting you Kikwang-ssi!"
Both of the boys could only stare in shock as she hefted a bag of laundry bigger than their own over her shoulder with ease. Throwing them a smile and a wave, she headed outside and disappeared into the crowds.
"She's cute." Kikwang smiled slyly, nudging Hyunseung in the side. "Do you like her, hyung?"
"E-E-Eh?" Hyunseung flushed, quickly shaking his head. "Ani, ani, of course not! I don't even know her!"
"Whatever you say, hyung, whatever you say," Kikwang snickered at the embarrassed look on Hyunseung's face. Pulling out his cell phone, he pressed a button and said, "Woonie, you'll never guess, Hyunseung-hyung has a crush on-"
"YAH!" Hyunseung frantically snatched the phone away from Kikwang, ignoring his loud laughter as he tried to disconnect the call. When he saw that it was a prank, he glared at Kikwang, who just kept giggling until they got back to the dorms.
CHAPTER 4 :
"Yah! Lee Kikwang, don't you dare-"
"Hide me, leadja, hyung is pissed-"
"Hyung, save me! Junhyung-umma is-"
"Morons, I'm going to slaughter you all!"
Sighing, Hyunseung watched as his hyungs and dongsaengs once again got into a petty fight. As usual, Kikwang and Yoseob had annoyed Junhyung to the point of insanity, dragging Doojoon into the mix as the two pabos tried to use their beloved leader's body to shield themselves from Junhyung's headlocks.
"Do I want to know?" Hyunseung looked up to see Dongwoon standing in the doorway of the dorm bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.
"Same old, same old." Dongwoon nodded, casually dodging the tangle of limbs in their living room on his way to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, the maknae scanned the shelves quickly, before shutting the door.
"Hey hyung, you think we can go out for dinner today?" he whispered to Hyunseung. "There's only enough food for about four people..."
Hyunseung chuckled, nodding silently at Dongwoon's idea. The pair snuck past their fighting bandmates to pull on their shoes and get their wallets and cell phones, slipping out the door quietly. Hyunseung was sure to leave a note on the refrigerator before they left:
Pabos-
Woonie and I are going out for dinner~ don't wait up for us! There's plenty of food in the fridge for you guys to eat... the leftovers are going to go bad soon anyways~~~ kekekeke, have fun!
Hyunseung
"Hyung, let's go get curry! We haven't eaten it in a long time," Dongwoon said happily, as the two of them wandered along one of Seoul's side-streets. Hyunseung was wary of walking out into the open; if he was by himself, things would've been easier, but with Dongwoon's height and foreign looks, he was much more easily recognized by fans.
"Araso, araso," Hyunseung replied, his mouth curling into a smile as Dongwoon gave him an eye-smile and a happy grin. 'Ah, our maknae is so innocent,' he mused, watching his dongsaeng whistle cheerfully.
He didn't notice until it was too late. When he heard the familiar, but terrifying sound of girls-fangirls-screaming, he immediately glanced around in alarm. Sure enough, Dongwoon wasn't paying much attention to where he was walking, and in his eagerness to get his food, he had accidentally stepped into one of Seoul's busiest shopping streets. And where there was shopping, scary fangirls would follow.
"Bbali, pabo! Before they catch us!" Hyunseung hissed to a frozen Dongwoon, pulling the younger boy as the pair took off in a mad sprint.
Now, Hyunseung had nothing against his fans, or BEAST's fans in general; in fact, he loved them all for their support and generosity. It was the fangirls he dreaded-they were of another breed entirely. Crazy, obsessive, loud, and too touchy for comfort, they were the ones that chased the idols they caught in public, and BEAST was no exception. Past experiences had revealed the astute difference: a meeting with fans would result in a sore hand from signing autographs, while an encounter with fangirls meant ripped clothing, missing accessories, and a sore body from being pulled left and right.
"Hyung, they're catching up!" Dongwoon said fearfully, glancing over his shoulder in terror. Dongwoon was the only member of BEAST fortunate enough to have escaped what Hyunseung called a 'fangirl attack,' but the maknae had heard enough stories to be deathly afraid of them.
Hyunseung wasn't about to let his dongsaeng's innocence be shattered, so he only sped up his pace. Darting into another side street, he and Dongwoon raced down the narrow road, as the screams of fangirls got louder and louder.
Hyunseung almost cursed when he spotted a girl come out from one of the buildings ahead, beginning to sweep the street. As much as he disliked fangirls, they were still fans-he couldn't hurt them, no matter how much he wanted to. But as he and Dongwoon ran closer, he almost stopped running in his surprise.
'... Miyoung? Miyoung... she can help us!'
"Miyoung-ssi!" he shouted, making Dongwoon look at him in confusion. "Miyoung-ssi!" She didn't turn towards him, and Hyunseung groaned when he saw the headphones in her ears.
Making a choice, he slid to a stop beside Miyoung, who still didn't seem to notice him presence. Pulling one of her earbuds out of her ear, he tried to explain when she turned to him in surprise.
"I'm sorry... Miyoung-ssi... fangirls... chasing... hide us..." he panted, taking laborious breaths, as Dongwoon did the same.
Miyoung's mouth formed an 'O,' glancing back down the alley. Grabbing both of them by the arms, she pushed them through the open door and into a hallway, quickly following and locking the door behind her. Almost moments after Miyoung bolted the door, Hyunseung heard the fangirls banging on the door, screaming his and Dongwoon's names.
"And hello to you too, Hyunseung-ssi. I guess you guys are pretty popular with girls, huh?" Miyoung's amused voice snapped him out of his trance, and Hyunseung looked up to meet her laughing eyes.
Blushing lighting, Hyuneseung could only bow at a ninety-degree angle. "Gamsahabnida, Miyoung-ssi," he said sincerely. "You really helped us back there."
Miyoung waved it off. "Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "Happy to help."
Dongwoon looked between the two with a clueless look on his face. "Eh? Hyung? Do you know her?"
"Yeah. Woonie, this is my friend Miyoung-ssi. Miyoung-ssi, this is Dongwoon, my dongsaeng," Hyunseung said, introducing the two.
Dongwoon blushed when Miyoung gave him a grin, stuttering, "A-Annyeonghaseyo, Miyoung-ssi. Gamsahabnida for helping us today."
"Don't worry about it, Dongwoon-ssi, the pleasure's all mine." Miyoung walked past them further down the hallway, looking back at them when they both simply stood there. "Are you two going to just stand there until those fangirls leave? Come on!"
Hyunseung just shrugged and followed Miyoung down the hallway, a puzzled Dongwoon trailing in his wake.
"Wah... So you own this cafe, Miyoung-noona?" Dongwoon asked in awe, looking around the room with admiration. Hyunseung was also impressed; the cafe was tastefully decorated and comforting, despite the lack of lights at the moment.
"Technically, my family does." Miyoung walked over to where they were seated on the couch, holding a tray of drinks and some cookies. "But I help out so much that they've pretty much given me responsibility of the place."
Seeing the refreshments Miyoung brought out, Hyunseung was suddenly struck by a thought. "Ah, Miyoung-ssi, I feel bad... You don't have to do all this, helping us was more than enough," he said guiltily. The cafe was closed and all the appliances were shut down, so Hyunseung knew that Miyoung had probably had to start up the coffee maker to give them their drinks.
Miyoung just smiled, shaking her head. "It's not a problem, Hyunseung-ssi, don't worry."
"So how did you two meet?" Dongwoon asked. He looked at his hyung and his noona, something connecting in his brain as he glanced between the two of them. He wasn't blind-he could tell that his hyung liked Miyoung. Only problem was that Hyunseung wasn't known for being very forward when it came to girls; in fact, he was extremely shy.
"We bumped into each other every day for the past three days," Miyoung explained. "Coincidentally, this is our fourth day meeting out of chance. I guess Fate has some humor after all." She laughed.
Watching her laugh, Hyunseung suddenly felt like his heartbeat doubled. He quickly gulped his coffee to try and calm himself down, but Dongwoon's knowing smirk made him flush.
"W-W-Well, thank you for the coffee, Miyoung-ssi," he said hastily, standing up as Dongwoon did the same, snickering quietly at Hyunseung's awkwardness. "I'm very sorry if we bothered you..."
"Oh, no, don't worry about it." She gave the pair a knowing smile. "After all, it's not everyday I meet the members of BEAST, right?"
Hyunseung started in surprise. "You... you mean you recognized me?"
"Yeah, but you looked so tired that day in the park, so I didn't ask," she explained.
"I see." Hyunseung couldn't help but let the sides of his mouth curl up into a small smile, a warm happiness filling him. 'She recognized me...'
"Ah, hyung, the others texted. I told them we got 'distracted,' and they said we should meet up for lunch. Apparently the leftovers tasted bad." Dongwoon's voice made Hyunseung snap out of his trance, and not for one second did he believe the innocent look on the maknae's face.
Miyoung, however, was another story. "Oh, I should have let you guys leave earlier..." She sounded guilty. "Mianhe, I didn't mean to keep you from your plans."
"Noona, you're too nice! And you saved us from those scary fangirls, so we don't mind!" Dongwoon grinned at her childishly, bouncing over to give her a hug. Hyunseung couldn't help but feel his chest tighten, jealousy washing over him as he watched the two embrace.
Then he remembered the promise he made her two days ago. "Woonie's right, you saved us today..." He smiled at her, ignoring the fact that his palms were getting sweaty, and continued, "You said you'd let me treat you for food if you ever 'saved' me again, right?"
Dongwoon released Miyoung from his arms, mouthing over her head, "Smooth, hyung."
Miyoung quickly shook her head. "No, no, I was joking! I know you guys are really busy, you don't have to-"
"Actually, we have the whole week off, noona," Dongwoon chirped. "We have absolutely nothing to do, so hyung is totally free tomorrow!"
Hyunseung wanted to both hug and smack the maknae at the same time. 'Yeah, just go ahead and tell her, why don't you? Way to be blunt, Woonie.'
Miyoung still wasn't sure. "I'm sure you guys would rather spend your time doing something more fun. It's okay, really, you don't have to, Hyunseung-ssi."
"But I want to," he blurted out. He fought to keep the blush off his face. "Please, just let me take you out... t-to thank you." He added the last part reluctantly.
Miyoung stared at him for a few moments, before finally replying hesitantly. "If you're sure..."
Hyunseung could only smile widely. "I'm sure. Are you free tomorrow night, around... seven o'clock?" Miyoung nodded, still somewhat shocked.
"You should trade numbers, just in case." Hyunseung glared at his dongsaeng, who only smiled back innocently.
"Stop interrupting!" Hyunseung mouthed, quickly turning his glare into a smile as he exchanged cell phones with Miyoung. Quickly inputting in his number, he simply typed 'Jang Hyunseung ^^' as his name. As much as he wanted to put his nickname, 'Prince Jang,' he thought it might be a little weird for her.
"Gowamo," he said as they traded back. "I'll call you again tomorrow to confirm, araso?"
Miyoung nodded with a shy smile. "Araso," she replied softly.
"Hyung, bbali! The others are waiting! Oh, and it was nice meeting you, Miyoung-noona!" Dongwoon's voice once again interrupted the moment, and Hyunseung had half the mind to strangle the boy when they left Miyoung's cafe.
"Well... I have to go. Thanks again for everything, and I'll see you tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment before giving her a light hug, literally sprinting out the door after he had let go to hide his flaming cheeks.
Outside, he was met with Dongwoon's peals of laughter and his teasing, but Hyunseung didn't care. He was too focused on his phone, grinning from ear to ear when he finally found her name in his contact list.
'Lee Miyoung :)'
CHAPTER 5 :
Hyunseung woke the next morning to a noisy dorm. Looking to the beds beside him, he saw that they were all empty, and stretched as he cracked his neck. Then, he suddenly realized that it was the day.
Scrambling in his bunk for his cell phone, he found his iPhone wedged between his and Junhyung's mattresses, quickly opening up to the texting application. He breathlessly typed a message, then pressed send before he could change his mind.
Good morning Miyoung-ssi ^^ I hope you had a restful night! Just wanted to remind you of our meal today~ I'll see you tonight at 7! - Hyunseung
He sat in his bed, waiting as he stared at the screen in hope. Soon enough, his iPhone chimed, signaling a new message.
Thank you, Hyunseung-ssi :) I slept well, I hope you did too! Thanks for the reminder, I'm excited for tonight! -Miyoung
Hyunseung could just feel the ache starting in his cheeks as his mouth stretched into a wide smile. Reading the last line of her message over and over again, he finally climbed out of bed, clutching his phone as if it were a lifeline.
When seven o'clock rolled around, Hyunseung found himself standing near the entrance of the cafe, fidgeting in nervousness. Throughout the entire day, he had been worrying nonstop about his 'thank you dinner' with Miyoung. It didn't help that Dongwoon and Kikwang had been teasing him either, but he had spent nearly two hours trying to decide what to wear. Even Junhyung had commented on the oddity of it.
Hyunseung looked down at his phone screen, which read "7:06" in large numbers. Panic started to rise in him, but he forced himself to calm down. 'She's only six minutes late,' he reasoned with himself, trying to calm himself down. 'She'll come. She will...'
He stiffened when he felt a slight tug on the back of his coat, praying to God that someone hadn't recognized him. Swallowing, he turned around, expecting to see one of his fans, but sighed in relief when he met familiar brown eyes.
"Did you think I was a fan?" Miyoung asked teasingly, a glimmer in her eye. "You looked really scared."
"Aniyo, of course not!" he denied, trying to hide his embarrassment.
She laughed, and he felt his heart flutter. "Alright, then, whatever you say," she replied, still giggling.
"Oh, shut up," he grumbled playfully. "Come on, let's go." In a moment of boldness, he reached out and grabbed her hand, tangling his fingers with hers. Ignoring the sudden bout of nervousness that was sweeping through his stomach, he pulled at her hand gently, leading her through the crowds of Seoul's nightlife.
"Where are we going?" Miyoung asked him when they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.
He gave her an eye smile. "It's a surprise," he sang, and only turned to lead her along again. He tried his hardest to focus on ducking his head and on not being recognized; not only did he not want this... 'dinner' to be ruined by fangirls, but he was trying to keep his heartbeat from speeding up. Holding her hand made a comforting warmth run through his arm, and to Hyunseung, it felt like her hand fit perfectly into his own.
He stopped in front of a small restaurant, tucked beneath the flashing signs and blaring lights of it's neighbors, and swiftly ushered her inside.
Upon entering, Hyunseung smiled when he saw Miyoung's eyes light up. The restaurant was very much like her family's cafe, also a family-run business. It was quieter than typical restaurants, mostly because it's patrons were mostly older couples, but Hyunseung didn't mind.
"Hyunseung-yah? Is that you?" a voice called An old woman ambled from the kitchen, a bright smile on her face.
"Annyeong, Halmeoni," Hyunseung greeted back, letting go of Miyoung's hand to give the woman a hug. "I'm sorry for not coming back sooner, we were all busy with-"
"Aigoo, don't worry, just keep working hard!" The lady waved off his apology, turning towards Miyoung with a sly smile. "And who is this pretty lady with you today? A girlfriend?"
"A-Ani," Hyunseung stuttered, blushing as Miyoung looked away in embarrassment. "Just friends, Halmeoni. This is Miyoung-ssi."
"I see." She chuckled. "It's nice to meet you, Miyoung-ah. Sit anywhere you'd like, dear, I'll come back with the menus..."
Hyunseung couldn't look Miyoung in the eye, only taking her hand again to lead her over to a table tucked near the back corner. After pulling out her chair for her, he sat down, his cheeks still red.
"Mianhae," he said. "Halmeoni always says we need girlfriends, and you're the first girl I've brought here... not that you're not someone I'd like as a girlfriend, I mean, I really-"
His babbling was halted by Miyoung's soft giggling, and he felt the blush creeping up his cheeks again.
"It's okay, Hyunseung-ssi, don't worry about it." With bright eyes, she smiled. "So what's good here?"
Thankful for the change of topic, he quickly listed off the dishes BEAST always ate when they visited. "The galbi and bulgogi here is pretty good... Kimchi pajeon. I always get jajjangmyeon... bimbimbap also."
"I think I'll try the jajjangmyeon," she decided. Rubbing her neck sheepishly, she explained, "I have this thing where I try the jajjangmyeon at every restaurant I eat at, if they serve it."
'Cute,' he thought, smiling. He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Halmeoni returning.
"Have you decided what to order, dear?" she asked Miyoung.
"One jajjangmyeon and tea, please." Miyoung looked at Hyunseung, but Halmeoni chuckled.
"Same thing for you, right, Hyunseung-yah?" Hyunseung smiled, nodding, and Halmeoni walked off with their order.
Silence washed over the pair. For a good thirty seconds, Hyunseung fumbled with his iPhone, secretly trying to build up the courage to say something.
"So..." Miyoung smiled up at him expectantly. With her gaze suddenly fixed on him, Hyunseung temporarily lost his train of thought, and blurted out, "Do you listen to my-I mean, our music? What are your favorite songs?"
At his question, he saw Miyoung's face fall a little, but the smile returned to her face so fast that he almost thought that he had imagined it. "Yeah, I do," she said, a somewhat odd look in her eyes. "My favorite songs... definitely 'Easy,' but 'Just Before Shock' is a close second."
Hyunseung looked at her curiously, hesitating before asking his next question. "Could I ask why?"
The smile on her face turned somewhat bitter as she looked down at her hands. "I... I had a boyfriend about two years ago. And... well, I was in love with him. But he ended up breaking up with me because of an incident that took something precious away from me... something that shouldn't have mattered if he really loved me back."
She paused when Halmeoni came over with their orders, the pair giving her a smile and a murmur of thanks. When the woman left, Hyunseung was quiet as she continued. "For a long time, I was heartbroken over him, but when my friend introduced me to the songs from your first mini-album, those two songs... they made me realize that I wasn't doing myself any favors by moping over someone who never really cared about me."
Miyoung looked up at him, and he noticed that the smile on her face was sweeter and thankful. "I guess you could say that you guys helped me move on with those two songs. I do like your other ones, but those two just have a deeper meaning to me." She took a breath. "I guess it sounds kind of stupid-"
"A-Aniyo!" Hyunseung smiled at her reassuringly. "It's not stupid at all! I'm really glad that our songs helped you." He reached out across the table, clasping her hands in his.
Miyoung looked surprised, but flushed at the sudden contact. "Thanks," she murmured. "I guess we should start eating before our food gets cold..."
Hyunseung nodded reluctantly as he released her hands, blushing at his overeagerness. "Mianhae, that was too bold of me..." He bit his lip, chastising himself for trying to move too fast, but was surprised when he heard Miyoung's soft reply.
"I don't mind... I... liked it." He looked up so fast that he almost felt his neck snap, eyes wide. She was looking down into her bowl of jajjangmyeon in embarrassment, mixing the noodles with the chopsticks in her left hand, but Hyunseung couldn't help smiling like a fool.
Taking his chopsticks with his right hand, he extended his left hand across the table, wrapping it around her free hand. When she looked up in surprise, he only smiled into his bowl as he began eating. The two of them dug into their noodles in a comfortable silence, their connected hands resting on the table.
When Hyunseung came home that night, he was met at the door by five eager roommates.
"Hyung! What happened?"
"How did it go?"
"What did noona eat?"
"Did you hold her hand? Or kiss her?"
"Jang Hyunseung, you'd better tell us, now!"
Amidst all the questions, Hyunseung could only lean back on the front door with a dazed look on his face. When the others noticed that he wasn't saying anything, they all stared at him in confusion.
"Yah, what's up with you?" Junhyung asked curiously.
Hyunseung didn't answer. He only removed his shoes, silently entering their bedroom and locking the door. He heard the not-so-quiet whispers outside his door, but he ignored them in favor of lying on his bed.
Staring at the bottom of the bunk above him, he lifted a hand to touch his cheek, still unable to believe what had just happened. He was jolted from his trance by his cell phone chiming, and mechanically checked the new message on his phone. When he read it, his eyes widened.
Thank you for the meal, Hyunseung-Oppa. I had a great time. I'm sorry if I surprised you with the kiss. Forgive me? - Miyoung
He quickly typed back a reply and a good night wish, then fell onto his back again. The same thought kept repeating in his head, the smile on his face growing each time he thought back to it.
'She... she kissed me...'
CHAPTER 6 :
"Yah, hyung. Hyung!" Something was poking his arm, and Hyunseung haphazardly swatted it away. Not even a second later, he heard another voice hiss, "Yah, wake up!"
Groaning, Hyunseung slowly rolled over, opening his eyes blearily. Squinting at the brightness of the light at first, his vision focused to reveal two faces less than five centimeters from his nose. His eyes snapped open in shock.
"YAH!" He sat up quickly with a yell only to hit his head on the bunk above him. "Ah-! Apa, apa!" he whined, cradling the crown of his head with his hands as he ignored Yoseob and Kikwang, who were openly sniggering at his misfortune.
"Yah, you two! Get over here!" he yelled at his two dongsaengs, but the two nimbly dodged his attempts to grab them and ran out of the bedroom. "Aish..."
Gingerly holding his head, he carefully made his way out of the lower bunk and trudged out the door to the bathroom. Or at least, he tried to.
"Hyung! Come here, we made breakfast for you!" Dongwoon grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him towards the living room, where newspapers were laid out on the floor, steaming dishes covering the surface.
"Bballi, the food's going to get cold!" Junhyung called, waving them both over.
Dongwoon pushed Hyunseung down into the space between Doojoon and Junhyung, Kikwang sat across from him, and was quickly pilling food into a bowl of rice. "Here, hyung! We made your favorites, you better eat up!" His dongsaeng pushed the overflowing bowl into Hyunseung's hands with a pair of chopsticks, an overly bright smile on his face.
"Yah, what's going on here?" Hyunseung looked around in confusion, as Yoseob brought over omelets. "Why are you all acting so weird?"
"Don't worry about it, Seungie," Doojoon replied, grinning. "Just eat, araso?"
Hyunseung stared at him, before his attention was taken by Dongwoon saying remorsefully, "I'm sorry about last night, hyung, I thought noona was-"
"Yah, stop talking!" Junhyung hissed, before clapping Hyunseung on the shoulder. "Just enjoy the food. Don't worry about anything else."
The five others started eating as Hyunseung sat there, wondering what in the world was going on. 'Why would Woonie be sorry?' He scooped a bit of rice into his mouth, chewing as he tried to think of a reason. 'Why did he mention Miyoung... Wait. Could they think...?'
"Yah, Yong Junhyung, you'd better tell me what's going on," Hyunseung said, looking at the boy sitting next to him. "Is this a hidden camera or something?"
"We just wanted to make you feel better, hyung," Kikwang answered, as Junhyung was still chewing. "We know your date last night didn't go well-"
"I said it didn't go well?" Hyunseung blinked, looking at the five boys around him. "Wait, you thought..."
"Look, just forget about her, araso? I'll set that girl straight, who does she think she is?" Junhyung interrupted, and scooped some more food into Hyunseung's bowl. "Eat."
"Ani, ani!" Hyunseung's eyes widened in realization. "You all misunderstood, I had a really great date!"
There was silence, then a collective, "Bwoh?"
Hyunseung winced at the yell. "I... I had a great time! I brought her to Halmeoni's restaurant, and after we took a walk in the park," he explained. He closed his eyes, and a silly smile formed as he recounted his night with Miyoung. "I told her to call me 'oppa,' and she asked me to just call her 'Miyoung.' I walked her home, and she even kissed my cheek! It was amazing..."
When he opened his eyes, his five other group members were staring at him with various expressions. Doojoon was simply staring at him, while Yoseob and Kikwang's jaws were dropped open. Dongwoon's face was lit up in a smile, but the look on Junhyung's face was still a bit suspicious.
"Chincha?" he asked skeptically. "Are you sure? You've gone out with other girls before, but I've never seen you come home the way you did last night. Are you sure she didn't do anything?"
Hyunseung simply smiled. "She held my hand and laughed at my jokes, and she kissed me on the cheek, if any of those count. And she made me feel so nervous..."
The last part raised eyebrows among the five boys. "Wae?" Kikwang asked curiously. "I mean, she's pretty and all, but she's not-"
"That's because hyung's falling in love with noona," Dongwoon chirped, as the five others, Hyunseung included, turned to look at him in shock.
"B-Bwoh?" Hyunseung was living up to his nickname; he looked like a deer caught in headlights. "F-Falling in love... with Miyoung-ah?"
" 'Miyoung-ah?' " Yoseob repeated. "You only use 'ah!' with your sister!"
Doojoon peered at Hyunseung's frozen expression. "Are you really?"
Hyunseung didn't answer for a few seconds, concentrating. The thumping of his heart seemed to fill the silence, and each heartbeat seemed like an eternity before he could choke out an answer. "... Ani."
Junhyung furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait-"
"I think I'm already in love with her," he whispered.
That night, Hyunseung opened up to the message application on his iPhone again, smiling as he scrolled through the texts he had exchanged with Miyoung throughout the day. He stopped at a certain one, the last sentence making his heart heavy.
I'm glad, oppa :) I'm really going to miss you when you go back to work next week! D: You'll be so busy, but I hope you can still come visit me every once in a while.
Miyoung was right. BEAST's week off was nearly over, with the next day being the last free one they had for a long time. His heart twisted at the thought of not being able to see her for weeks, maybe even months on end. He already missed her after not being able to see her for a day, how could he survive seeing her only a couple times a year?
Steeling himself, he slowly typed in a message, rereading it over a couple times to make sure he didn't forget to write anything.
Miyoung-ah, I miss you :( Can we hang out again tomorrow? I'd really like to see you again before my break is over. I'm free the whole day, so just let me know if you're free.
Sending it, he exhaled slowly, biting his lip when his phone rang not less than a minute after, signaling a new message.
Of course, oppa ^^ I miss you too! I'm also free for the whole day, my sister takes over the cafe for half the week :) Do you want to come over to the cafe for breakfast tomorrow? We open at 9, but you could come over earlier if you want to :D
Hyunseung smiled. He sent her a quick reply:
Then I'm going to take all of your time tomorrow! :D Breakfast sounds good to me, maybe we can meet at 8? I don't want to be recognized and have my day with you be ruined~~ We can just wander around after ^^
"Hyunseung, are you going to shower?" Doojoon called from the bathroom. "Or can I use the bathroom first?"
"Go ahead, I'll go after," Hyunseung said absentmindedly, and Doojoon chuckled knowingly when he heard the iPhone chime.
That's fine with me! I'll see you tomorrow then, oppa :) Sweet dreams!
His reply was short and sweet.
Araso, good night, Miyoung-ah 3
CHAPTER 7 :
Saying goodbye to Doojoon, who had kindly woken him up early, Hyunseung slipped out of the dorm and into the already bustling streets of Seoul. Around him, students and adults of all ages crowded the streets as they made their way to school or work, and Hyunseung had a difficult time keeping his head down and his face covered. He was hoping that the fact that it was a weekday would help a little-after all, that was when most idol fans-and the obsessive fangirls-were occupied with school or work.
Reaching the front of Miyoung's cafe, he peeked through the front window , cupping his hands around his eyes to see better through the tinted glass. His mouth curled up in a grin when he spotted Miyoung's familiar figure laughing with another girl around the same age, who he assumed to be her sister.
He knocked on the door sharply, drawing their attention to him. His stomach jumped when he saw how she smiled wider when she saw him, and reluctantly squashed the idea that her face lit up because of him. 'But it doesn't hurt to hope, does it?'
Miyoung quickly unlocked the door, greeting him breathlessly. "Annyeong, oppa."
She took his hand, pulling him into the quiet cafe and closing the door behind him.
"Annyeong, Miyoung-ah," he replied, a gentle smile on his face as he noticed a pink flush on her cheeks. He blinked when he heard soft snickers coming from the direction of the kitchen, and noticed the girl he saw earlier.
"You know, blush any harder and you'll look like those cranberry tarts in the oven right now," the girl remarked.
Miyoung only blushed harder, opting to turn to Hyunseung. "Give me a minute, the tarts are almost done." She then rushed into the kitchen, but it didn't stop Hyunseung from catching a glimpse of her flaming cheeks. He then smiled hesitantly at the girl still leaning in the doorway of the kitchen, who was watching him carefully.
"Annyeonghaseyo, jeoneum Jang Hyunseung-imnida." He bowed a full ninety degrees, wanting to make a good impression on the girl. "It's nice to met you."
"Well, it's nice to finally put a name and face to the mystery boy Miyoung keeps going on about. But... Jang Hyunseung. Of BEAST, right?" She laughed at his stricken expression. "Relax, I'm not one of those crazy fans of yours. I'm Miyoung's older sister, but just call me Jieun."
Jieun glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen before stepping closer to Hyunseung with a slightly dangerous expression on her previously sweet-looking face. "Hyunseung-ssi, let me just set something straight with you. You might be an idol, but that isn't an excuse for you to play around with my sister." Jieun's eyes hardened. "She really likes you, and from what I can tell, you like her too, so I'm hoping that things will work out between you. But I promise, if you break her heart, I'll break your legs, idol or not. Got it?"
Hyunseung gulped internally as he tried to keep his expression serious. "You don't have to worry," he replied, his voice steely. "I'm not going to hurt her."
"Good. Then we should have no problems." Jieun's cold expression melted into a smile. "I'll go help Miyoung with the food. Pick anywhere to sit!"
Hyunseung could only stare in bafflement as the girl skipped back into the kitchen. 'Could she be bipolar?' he wondered briefly, picking a table near the bar to wait for Miyoung.
"Your sister is... interesting," Hyunseung said as he and Miyoung exited from the back entrance of the cafe, trying to think of a nicer adjective to describe Jieun.
Miyoung laughed. "Let me guess, she threatened you, didn't she?" At Hyunseung's hesitant nod, she playfully slapped his arm. "Don't worry, she does that to everyone I bring to the cafe, girls and guys alike."
"So she threatened to break their legs too?" He couldn't help but blurt it out, and cursed mentally at the frown that appeared on Miyoung's face.
"Break your legs? That's a new one." She looked at him apologetically. "Mianhae, Unnie gets overprotective sometimes. Don't worry about it."
He simply smiled in response, but as Miyoung led him to the underground subway, he couldn't help but think, 'But if someone really did break your heart, I'd want to break their legs too.'
"Lotte World?"
Miyoung smiled. "I figured that you wouldn't have come here in a while since BEAST makes you really busy, so I thought that we could spend today doing some of the fun things you've missed out on." She pulled out two tickets from her purse, handing them to the attendant at the entrance. They walked into the amusement park, as Hyunseung looked around with a fond smile.
"I haven't come here in such a long time," Hyunseung murmured as they walked through the park.
However, Miyoung didn't seem to hear him because she grinned at him sheepishly, and said, "I don't know if you've come here before or not, but this is my first time here, so I don't really know what rides are good or anything."
Hyunseung smiled back at her, linking their pinkies together. "So we don't get separated," he explained, trying not to chuckle at the adorable confused look on her face. "Come on, that roller coaster looks fun!"
He didn't tell her what linking pinkies really meant. He remembered what his sister told him once, a long time ago.
"Oppa, there's three types of hand holding," his sister explained. "The first is like this." She put her two palms together, wrapping her fingers around the palms. "This is for friends."
She then switched her hands so that her fingers were intertwined with each other, and said, "The second type is for new couples, mostly because they crave the skinship." Geurim chuckled, and added, "Most of the time, these couples end after a while, because their relationship is mostly physical or because they're too blind to initially realize how bad they are for each other."
She switched positions again, only linking her pinkies this time. "The last is also for couples, but in this case, the two people are so secure and sure of their relationship that holding the entire hand isn't necessary."
Geurim looked at him seriously. "A lot of people think that pinky holding doesn't mean much, because the link is easily broken." She demonstrated by pulling her hands apart, her pinkies separating easily. "But it's actually the most intimate of the three types, because you're trusting the other person to never let go, and to never let anything take you away from each other, no matter how strong."
Hyunseung looked at Miyoung, who was staring at all the rides with unconcealed awe. His eyes traveled from her bright face down to their still-linked pinkies, and he smiled softly. "I won't let you go," he whispered, almost mouthing the words. "I'm not going to let anything take you away from me."
CHAPTER 8 : part 2
After spending a good portion of the day at Lotte World, the pair wandered their way to Itaewon, a place that Hyunseung had only heard about but never visited.
"I'd bring you to Myeondong, but I don't want you to get recognized," Miyoung explained. "I know you'd probably like that place better, but I wanted to introduce you to someone who lives here."
"Ani, I don't mind," he said. "I've only heard my sister talk about this place, I've never been here myself before." He smiled sheepishly, admitting, "My English isn't very good."
"I know." Miyoung laughed. " 'I give you young sister?' " she half-quoted, half-asked with a knowing grin.
Hyunseung blushed deeply. The infamous English lesson was an incident he wanted to forget, but apparently, Miyoung had watched Idol Maid. "Yah, that was a mistake! You watched that, you should know that I corrected myself!" Hyunseung mock-hissed, his eyes laughing with mirth. "I think I should punish you for teasing an oppa like that." Arms outstretched, he pretended to lunge at her, his hands finding their way to her waist.
He didn't anticipate the subsequent squeal from Miyoung. His mouth curled up in a devious smile, instantly recognizing the familiar reaction. He let his fingers travel over her midsection, trying to keep the wriggling girl in his grasp.
"Oppa, jebal, I'm ticklish!" Miyoung begged through her laughter, trying to break free from Hyunseung's determined fingers. "Hajima, mercy, mercy!"
He finally relented, wrapping his arms around her as she took deep, shuddering breaths to stop giggling. When she finally calmed down, she looked up at him, and Hyunseung suddenly became quite aware of how they were standing so closely together. Their faces were only a couple inches apart, and his arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. Miyoung's hands were resting on his shoulders, and while laughing, was resting her forehead against his chest.
Miyoung's cheeks flushed a deep red, and she moved her hands to her chest to push herself away from him, but Hyunseung only tightened his grip on her in response. He pulled her closer, now fully hugging her, burying his face in her hair. He inhaled, smelling the faint scent of rose and sandalwood, and smiled himself silly when he felt her arms wrap around his back slowly.
He pulled back, leaving just enough room to peck her on the forehead. He gave her a smile, only saying, "Kaja," and ushered a dazed Miyoung further into Seoul's famous English town.
As they walked through the streets filled with foreigners and occidentals, Hyunseung never once removed his arm from Miyoung's waist. He was happy to notice that she had also shyly snuck an arm around him, and hadn't made a move to remove it even once.
They ate lunch at one of the American-Italian restaurants in Itaewon, laughing hysterically as they attempted to order food with their equally poor English skills. Miyoung was only slightly better than Hyunseung, but her more complicated dish-a avocado pesto chicken panini as opposed to his simple pepperoni pizza-earned numerous wrong orders, ranging from chicken wings to cannoli desserts.
After lunch, they walked through Itaewon hand in hand and explored many of the shops, enjoying the warm sun while heading towards the person Miyoung mentioned earlier. Hyunseung was able to even take off most of his disguise, leaving him in a simple t-shirt, jeans, and a beanie. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so carefree and relaxed; even though there were still some people who recognized him.
One such person was a young girl manning the cash register at a small dress boutique, nodding her head to the sound of BEAST's fourth mini-album. Hyunseung was hesitant to enter after hearing the familiar beat of "Beautiful" drifting from the store, but Miyoung fearlessly dragged him inside, gathering different silly dresses to try on. Hyunseung completely forgot about his fear of being recognized as he laughed at Miyoung's ridiculous outfits, even sneaking a couple pictures with his iPhone when she tried on some of the more elegant dresses.
"Whoa, you're Hyunseung from BEAST, right?" the voice of a girl interrupted their little modeling session, and the pair both turned, wide-eyed, to see a teenaged girl standing behind the counter, watching with a curious expression.
"Er, yeah, I am," he replied cautiously. He and Miyoung exchanged fearful glances.
"Well, I just wanted to say that I'm a big fan of your guys' music." The girl then turned to study Miyoung, tilting her head slightly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I recognize you... are you also an idol?"
"Aniyo, the farthest thing from one," Miyoung laughed. Hyunseung looked at her strangely. The laughter seemed forced, but he convinced himself that he was only imagining things.
"Chincha? Then are you guys dating or something?"
Both of them smiled awkwardly. "Not really," Miyoung said, as Hyunseung muttered, "I wish." He flushed when the girl glanced at him with a knowing gleam in her eye.
"Would you like me to take a picture for you guys?" the girl offered.
Hyunseung nodded eagerly, handing his iPhone to the girl. Normally, he wouldn't have let anyone touch his phone, but the girl seemed to be a 'safe' fan.
"Ready?" Hyunseung pulled Miyoung to his side, wrapping his arm around her back while using his free hand to frame his eyes with a peace sign. Miyoung did the same, tilting her head slightly to the side so their temples were touching. "Hana, dul, set!"
Smiling, the girl handed back Hyunseung's iPhone, and said, "I'll leave you two alone. Let me know if you need anything."
They left the boutique soon afterwards, but unbeknownst to Miyoung, Hyunseung's new cell phone wallpaper was that very picture of the two of them, heads touching and looking very much like a real couple. 'If only that were really the case,' he thought wistfully.
Shortly after the dress shop, Miyoung pulled Hyunseung into a small bookstore, filled with foreign books crammed haphazardly into narrow bookshelves or stacked precariously on rickety tables. Miyoung gracefully meandered through the maze of furniture towards the back wall, where an old Caucasian lady sat reading what looked to be a European novel. Hyunseung recognized the letters that made up the title, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't English, nor was it any Asian language.
Then he noticed how Miyoung walked up to the lady and bent down, gently tapping the woman on the shoulder. The old lady looked up in surprise, her wrinkled face widening as she smiled.
"Cara!" the woman exclaimed, standing up to pull Miyoung into a hug. "Sei venuto!"
Miyoung simply laughed, hugging the woman back while murmuring, "I missed you, Halmeoni."
Hyunseung looked on in confusion. The lady, who Miyoung had called "Halmeoni," had spoken in some foreign language he had never heard before, but Miyoung had replied in Korean. "Wait, what's going on?" he wondered aloud, but blinked when neither of them seemed to hear him.
Everything clicked when Miyoung and the old woman started to gesture with their hands, the movements reminiscent of the sign language assistance for the hearing-impaired he used to see on news reports as a child. Looking closer, he noticed the hearing aid in the older woman's ear.
Miyoung finally turned to Hyunseung, a gentle smile on her cheeks, saying, "Oppa, this is Sera de Luca, but just call her Halmeoni." Miyoung pronounced the name with a heavy Korean accent, which the old lady only laughed at. Miyoung pouted playfully at Halmeoni's laughter, before saying, "She's Italian, but her husband is Korean. And she can't hear very well, so I normally use sign language to talk with her."
Hyunseung smiled politely at the woman, bowing formally. "Can you tell her that I'm honored to meet her?" he asked Miyoung, and she happily relayed the message. Halmeoni clapped her hands, laughing as she said, "Thank you, caro." Her accented Korean, while fluent, sounded somewhat faint, as if her voice hadn't been used in a long time. Then Halmeoni signed to Miyoung, whose happy expression was quickly wiped upon seeing the gestures. Hyunseung watched as Miyoung shook her head, before turning to Hyunseung with an odd expression in her eyes.
"Oppa," she started slowly, almost reluctantly, "what you you say if I told you that I'm deaf?"
'What?'
CHAPTER 9 : part 3
Hyunseung was slient as she quietly finished. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, endless questions filling his head as he tried to process the story Miyoung resignedly told him.
"I was in an accident with a guy who was my boyfriend at the time," she started slowly, her voice low. "He wasn't paying attention to the road because he was talking on the phone with someone, and he didn't see the tree until it was too late." Miyoung snorted lightly. "How ironic is it that he walked away with nothing but a couple scratches, whereas my side of the car was the one that actually hit the tree?"
"I hit my head against the window and passed out, and woke up two months later in the hospital. The doctors told me that because of the way my head hit the window during the crash, it triggered something in my brain to shut off my sense of hearing over the course of a couple months," Miyoung explained. She laughed shortly, only that it sounded like a harsh bark more than a laugh. "Of all the things, it had to take away my hearing."
She looked down, and it was then that Hyunseung noticed that she was avoiding looking at him. "Miyoung-"
"Oh, but that's not the best part," Miyoung cut him off loudly, as if she was trying to prevent him from talking at all. "My so-called boyfriend visited me when I called him, and when I told him about my eventual loss of hearing..." Her eyes filled with an unidentifiable emotion, one which was present one second, then gone the next. "He broke up with me on the spot, saying how he couldn't be with a someone with such a 'difficult disability' to deal with."
"It didn't matter that I could get around just fine without my hearing-I mean, I learned sign language because one of my cousins is mute, and I can read lips, but I found out that he was cheating on me. The accident was just a convenient excuse," Miyoung said, her eyes filled with bitterness. "But I still loved him. And of course, me being the idiot that I am, I cried over him and became depressed."
She played with a loose thread on her sleeve, her eyes still determinedly fixed anywhere but Hyunseung's face. "You could say that it was your music that saved me," she murmured, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Like I told you, 'Easy' and 'Just Before Shock' helped me get over him. Instead of wasting the precious time I had left crying over him, I was made the most of what was left of my hearing." She looked up, finally meeting his eyes, poorly-suppressed fear flickering through her brown orbs. "And that's it."
"Oh... I see." The moment those words left his mouth, Hyunseung wanted to immediately take them back. Miyoung's expression had crumpled, her eyes filled with hurt.
"Is that all you can say?" she asked softly, looking at him sadly.
"I... I'm not sure what I should say," he admitted. Hyunseung wanted to kick himself. 'Of all the times in the world, why do I have to choose right now to be blunt?'
"Really?" Miyoung looked down at her hands. They were clenched tightly around the fabric of her shirt, the knuckles white. Then she stood up abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor harshly. "Mianhae, I have to go."
"Wait!" Hyunseung leapt out of his seat to grab her wrist, stopping her from leaving the small coffee shop. "Miyoung-ah, I-"
"Don't worry about it, Hyunseung-ssi." He recoiled at the use of the formal address, as if he'd been struck. Miyoung yanked her arm away, meeting his wide eyes with her own bitter ones. "I don't even know what I was expecting from you. Maybe I was hoping you wouldn't care? Or maybe I hoped that..." She stopped talking with a sigh, her shoulders slumping as if she was suddenly tired. "You know what? I don't really care." She spun on her heels, dashing out the door.
"Shit," Hyunseung cursed, throwing down a couple bills on the coffee table to pay for their untouched drinks before sprinting after her.
The moment he stepped outside, he tried searching for her in the crowds of people littering the street, furtively attempting to catch a glimpse of her familiar figure. Unfortunately, it was almost dinnertime-meaning that there were more people out than that morning, and that school was already out. In his haste, Hyunseung had forgotten that he had removed his disguise earlier in the day, and was assaulted by the familiar sound of screams.
Even as cameras and phones crowded around him, Hyunseung paid them no attention, trying to look over the sea of girls for Miyoung. Looking around wildly, he spotted her near the intersection, waiting for the light to change.
It didn't even register that the people around him were wondering why he was just standing there; his mind was still focused on Miyoung. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but the words died on his lips when he saw her lift a hand to her eyes.
An unfamiliar pain pierced his chest. Even though he couldn't see it, he knew instantly that Miyoung was crying. Helpless, Hyunseung could only stand frozen as she crossed the road, watching her figure amongst people in suits and school uniforms. As she began to disappear into the crowd, he felt his heart dropping more and more with every step she took.
'How could this happen?'
CHAPTER 10 :
It was only eleven in the morning, but Hyunseung was pretty sure that he had written about a hundred messages to Miyoung, only to close the texting application on his iPhone as he remembered the bomb she dropped on him yesterday. Clenching his head in his hands, he exhaled slowly, leaning his elbows on his thighs.
"Hyung, get over here and put your make up on!" Kikwang called from the other side of the room. With their week off over, their schedules were already booked from morning to midnight, with no breaks in between. They all woke up at five to hit the studio, and worked through breakfast until nine, when they were rushed off to a photo shoot for some magazine that Hyunseung couldn't remember the name of.
Glancing at his cell phone once more, he slowly made his way to the styling chair, wincing when one of the stylists immediately pounced on his untamed hair. Forlornly staring at the picture of him and Miyoung on his cell phone, he didn't hear Junhyung calling his name.
"Yah, are you listening to me, pabo?" Junhyung raised a hand to slap Hyunseung on the arm, but stopped in mid-swing when he caught a glimpse at the melancholy look on his friend's face. Furrowing his eyebrows, Junhyung leaned a little closer, seeing the picture on Hyunseung's phone.
"Hey, what's up with you?" Junhyung shook Hyunseung's arm lightly, snapping the doe-eyed boy from his throughts. Junhyung nodded to the picture, and asked, "Did something happen yesterday? You came home pretty late."
Hyunseung bit his lip. "I... I think I blew it," he confessed, slumping in his seat. "She told me something really important, but all I did was just sit there like some kind of insensitive idiot. And when she ran away, I tried to follow her, but there were fans who recognized me, so I couldn't catch her." He fiddled with the hem of his shirt.
"Well, just apologize," Junhyung said simply. "If she likes you, she'd forgive you."
Hyunseung sighed. "It's not that simple," he muttered. He looked up at his friend sadly. "She told me that she's deaf, Junhyung."
Junhyung recoiled in surprise. "Deaf?" He blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "Yah, if you really love her like you said, then that wouldn't matter, pabo."
"I... I really don't know," Hyunseung murmured, startling Junhyung with the defeat lacing his voice. "I know it shouldn't matter, but I feel like it does."
"It doesn't make her any different from the girl you thought wasn't deaf." Junhyung tilted his head slightly, his voice taking on a gentler feel. "So what if she can't hear? Her personality is the same, she doesn't look any different, and it's not like she was hiding some dark secret or something. So she pretended, fine. But would you really expect her to tell you something like that, especially since you guys just met less than a week ago?"
Hyunseung stayed silent, avoiding Junhyung's eyes.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I think you should go talk to her." Standing, Junhyung clapped Hyunseung on the shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "I think she deserves an explanation at least."
The dark blanket of night was Hyunseung's only companion as he stood outside an apartment building at one in the morning, desperately texting Miyoung's cell phone for the thirteenth time. He had been standing outside the complex for nearly twenty minutes now, hoping that Miyoung would see his messages and come outside, or at least show some sign that she had read them.
He looked up hopefully when he heard the sound of glass doors automatically sliding open. When the figure came into view, his face fell; instead of Miyoung, it was Jieun who stomped towards him, greeting him with a vicious slap to his face.
"You bastard," she hissed, her glaring eyes appearing golden as her face was illuminated by the street lights. "I warned you. I told you not to hurt her, and she comes back home crying after her date with you! "
Holding his smarting cheek, Hyunseung met her furious gaze steadfastly, only saying, "I need to talk to her."
"Like hell you do!" Jieun stepped closer, taking a fistful of his jacket. "Stop trying to contact her; you're never coming within a fucking kilometer of her ever again, you hear me? You're just like that asshole of an ex-boyfriend-"
Jieun's rant was stopped abruptly by a hand clenching her wrist tightly, loosening her grasp on his clothing. Looking up, she was met with cold brown eyes, almost black in rage.
"Don't ever compare me to him," he said softly, his voice hard and steely. "I'm nothing like that bastard."
"Really? You broke her heart, just like he did," Jieun spat, wrenching her arm away from him. "You left her after she told you about being deaf, just like he did! And you dare say that you're not like him? You-"
"I'm not like him because I love her, okay?" he yelled, cutting her off in mid-sentence. Surprise registered in Jieun's eyes, but he didn't stop to think about that as the words just poured out of his mouth. "I acted like that yesterday because I didn't know what to think when she told me, but I love her, regardless of whether she can hear or not! And I don't care if it sounds cliche or whatever, but I think she's amazing. The things she makes feel... it's indescribable."
He couldn't look at Jieun's face as clenched his hands, his vision blurring. "I don't care if she's deaf. She'll always be beautiful to me."
"Then why don't you tell her that for yourself?" Hyunseung blinked back the angry tears in his eyes and looked up to see Jieun turned towards the side. "Miyoung, I know you're there."
A figure slowly emerged from behind a tree, moving cautiously into the light. Hyunseung felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the person's face.
"Miyoung-ah..."
"Oppa." Hyunseung felt guilt assault him at the sight of her face. Under the harsh street lights, the dark shadows and puffiness of her face were even more obvious.
"Unnie, can I talk to him by myself for a while?" Miyoung murmured, and Jieun nodded shortly. She walked back towards the apartment complex, but not before shooting Hyunseung a warning glare: Don't mess up.
They stood, staring at each other as a heavy blanket of tension settled over them.
Hyunseung's throat felt like dry sandpaper, and he swallowed nervously before asking hesitantly, "How...?"
Miyoung smiled wryly, "I can read lips, remember?"
"Right," was Hyunseung's weak reply. The tension returned once again, until a quiet question permeated the silence.
"Did you mean it?"
He tried to smile. "Of course."
A resigned look passed over her features. "You don't have to pretend or anything, Unnie already went back inside." She tilted her head up to face his, focusing on the bangs brushing the bridge of his nose rather than his eyes. "You're an idol, and I'm just damaged goods. I don't really expect you to-"
"I'm not faking it," he interrupted her. "I'm sorry for reacting so badly yesterday, I just needed some time to process it... but like I said, I don't care if you're deaf, or blind, or mute, or whatever." Stepping closer, he cupped her face in his hands, leaning in slightly to gaze directly into her eyes. "You're amazing just the way you are, Miyoung-ah, and I love you for it."
Suddenly, a pair of chapped lips pressed against his. He momentarily froze when he felt skinny arms snake around his neck, hands linking at the base of his head, but quickly kissed back, slipping one hand to the back of her neck as the other fell to wrap around her waist, pulling her body closer.
It wasn't like the passionate make-out scenes of the movies, nor was it like one of those frantic make-up kisses shared between quarreling lovers. There weren't any fireworks or electric sparks that shot through his body, but rather, a warm, comforting heat spread from where he was touching her skin, tingling and filling his chest. It was simple, chaste, and sweet, and Hyunseung savored the feel of her lips against his as he gently stroked the soft skin of her neck under his thumb.
He breathlessly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers as he waited for Miyoung to catch her breath. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for not thinking straight, I'm sorry for-"
"It's okay, oppa." Hyunseung opened his eyes to see a soft smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling. Pulling back slightly, she made a sign with her right hand, folding down her middle and ring finger while holding up her thumb, pointer, and pinky fingers.
At his confused look, she chuckled, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "It means, I love you too."
CHAPTER 11 :
It was late at night when Hyunseung tiredly slipped into the dark apartment, his feet padding across the hardwood floor quietly despite his exhaustion. Carelessly shucking off his costume from the Inkigayo performance he had hours earlier, he let each piece of clothing drop to the floor, making soft thumps as a trail of leather and metal was left in his wake.
When he finally reached his bed, he had stripped down to his boxers, too tired to pull on pajamas, and couldn't help but smile at the lump under the sheets. Pulling back the comforter, he gently eased his sore body onto the mattress, groaning slightly as his muscles screamed in protest.
"I watched you on TV today." He turned his head to the side, meeting the sleepy gaze of his fiancee lying next to him. "You were amazing... as usual."
Hyunseung chuckled, shifting to lay on his side and throw an arm over her waist, pulling her soft body into his own. "Thanks, jagiya." He pressed his lips to the crown of her head.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come," he heard her whisper.
Hyunseung only smiled at her silliness and pulled her even closer. Looking down at her, he said, "I'd rather you stay at home and get better than try to come out when you're sick, Miyoung. You don't have to be sorry."
"Still, I'm sorry."
"Miyoung-ah..." Hyunseung sighed. It was like this every time, and he could hear the unspoken 'for not being able to listen' part added to the end of Miyoung's apology. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Let's just sleep, araso?"
"You mean you don't want to know what the doctor said today?" she cut him off, and Hyunseung was surprised to see a playful glint in her eye.
"Eh? Ani! Of course I do!" Hyunseung glared down at her, but Miyoung only giggled. "Tell me," he said, peering at her intently.
Slowly, Miyoung's soft laughter dissolved into a radiant smile that literally took his breath away. She leaned in closer to whisper into his ear.
"I'm getting my hearing back, oppa."
It took him nearly ten seconds of looking at Miyoung's beaming face to process what she said, but the moment it registered, Hyunseung was up and out of his bed twirling a laughing Miyoung in his arms, all prior exhaustion gone.
"How?" he demanded, the large grin contrasting with the happiness in his voice. "What did Dr. Kwon say?"
She didn't even get halfway through her explanation before Hyunseung swept her up again, lifting Miyoung up to pepper her face with kisses before capturing her lips with his own.
As they moved back towards the bed, Hyunseung none too gently pulling off her pajamas, Miyoung touched her stomach briefly as she smiled.
'Just wait until you hear what else the doctor said, oppa...'