Chapter Nine
"Go Mi Nam." Coordinator Wang caught Mi Nam's attention. He had been in a ambivalent state since speaking of Ye Eun. The wounds he had from her had largely healed, but his conversation with Jeremy undid some of the stitching. He did not want to speak ill of someone he had loved so much, but it was something that could not be avoided.
"Turn your head this way." He turned as Coordinator applied makeup under his eyes; she noticed the dark circles underneath them were darker than they usually were and that was distressing sign of both his physical and mental health.
She sighed. "What's bothering you?" Coordinator could feel it. He emanated an air of distress- albeit suppressed. He'd shown up thirty minutes late for preparations for his photo shoot, dragging his feet and looking like death.
"Bothering me?" How could he possibly explain all of what he was going though to her in the next five minutes? "If somebody you used to love showed up in your life again after being gone for years, would you give them a second chance?" He knew Jeremy's inquiries that they, in some way or another, would cross paths again.
"Hmm." She pondered, moving quickly to Mi Nam's hair. "Everyone deserves a second chance, I suppose. But it really depends on how you feel. So, how do you?"
"I don't know." He played with his shirt hem. "It's a complicated."
"Everything about you is complicated, Mi Nam." He couldn't help but agree with that to some extent. "But really, you have to get more rest. I've had to use one tube of concealer on your left eye alone- not to mention you walked in looking like a zombie from the Night of the Living Dead."
"I'm a zombie." Mi Nam groaned. "Zombie want food. Feed zombie." He clawed at Coordinator's hand playfully, pretending he was going to eat her hand.
"Mi Nam- stop!" She hit him on the head, ruffling his perfectly straightened hair. "Damn. See what you made me do?" She quickly buffed it out with a brush. "We don't have time to waste! You've a got a photo shoot and I've got a nail appointment at ten."
"Can I just not go?" He whined.
"Bear with it." She put her hands on his shoulders. "I know you can." She pushed his chair around towards the door.
"But its just going to be annoying." He continued to gripe, getting up. "Jeremy talks too much and gets on my nerves."
They left the room together, Mi Nam taking Chae Rim by the arm and making her walk with him to the room the shoot was to take place in.
"As an idol how could you even say this? Your groupmates. Its unavoidable. You seriously need to tone it down and cut the attitude. You know it'll make everyone's life easier if you just get along. Especially yours."
Go Mi Nam tried to suppress a groan. Same old thing he's heard a million times before. "Eh, whatever."
"Don't whatever me! When you aren't being an absolute dick and you two are being civil, you're pretty cute together. You compliment each other."
"Ugh. No definitely not." He tried to deny, even though a small part of him did agree with her. It wasn't as if Jeremy wasn't a good-looking guy. "Anyway, how can you say that? We're two different kinds of attractive. Jeremy might be cute, but I'm a good level above him. You know, somewhere in the sexy category."
She laughed. "Sorry. When I think about you I don't think sexy."
"I'll accept that answer only because we're friends, noona." Mi Nam responded, a bit offended by her answer. "Who do you think is the sexiest in A.N Jell, then? Be honest."
"That's a loaded question." She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not answering that."
"Oh, come on." Mi Nam urged.
Coordinator Wang actually thought about it. Jeremy was the first to come to her mind. He was so bouncy and cute in real life, it was hard to imagine him even having a sexy side. When it came to Mi Nam, they had been good friends since he became an active member of A.N Jell, and the Coordinator just didn't think of him that way. Then there was Tae Kyung who she found plenty attractive and could easily label sexy, but his demeanor usually kept her from doing so.
But Shin Woo…
Shin Woo. Just hearing his name made a smile form on her lips. He was the closest to her ideal.
"Thinking that hard, huh?" Mi Nam snapped her out of her train of thought.
"I want an opinion from a woman- not a biased fan."
"Any person you ask is going to be biased in some way, I hope you know that."
"Let me guess." He said, quickly looking Coordinator up and down. "You chose Shin Woo."
"Shin Woo? No." She denied quickly, feeling her face get hot. "Why would you even assume that?"
"Tae Kyung would be the obvious one, but you're Wang Chae Rim. Tae Kyung doesn't do it for you. Plus, he's taken. Judging by your tastes, you would look for someone that's not only attractive but has a good personality. You didn't choose me because well, I'm me. And, Jeremy would be too much for you to handle and only falls under the cute category. That leaves Shin Woo." Mi Nam snickered. He was right on point. "Oh that and the fact, it's written all over your face."
Coordinator thanked god when she saw the door number behind Go Mi Nam's head.
"Oh, look where we are Mi Nam? You should go in before you're late." She opened the door, shoving him through it- giving the young man no opportunity to fight back.
Mi Nam found himself into a large room with a white back drop and small camera crew. He immediately spotted Jeremy was sitting on a small loveseat on the side, next to a wrack of clothes, playing with his cellphone. He was greeted by a crew member and told to simply wait with his group member.
Go Mi Nam, feeling like the asshole he usually was, snuck quietly up behind Jeremy. He flicked him on the back of the forehead. "Ouch." Jeremy turned around. "First you're late and now you come in and decide to pester me?"
"My entertainment is at your expense." He sighed, jumping over the loveseat to sit beside him.
"I can't wait until this is over." Jeremy rested his hand in his palm on the arm of the loveseat.
"You hate spending time with me that much, hyung?" Mi Nam feigned disappointment, with a little pout.
Jeremy rolled his eyes, wanting to hit him straight in the face. "There are a million things I would rather do."
"Wow. I can't believe I was rushed here. The photographer hasn't even arrived either." Go Mi Nam yawned. We are up rather early in the morning for the shoot.
"Yeah, imagine that. A responsible person being late. It seems like a forgivable thing." Jeremy remarked. "Compared to an irresponsible asshole who has made it a habit."
"At least I came." Jeremy should have known better making that comment, considering his frequent tardiness was due to his insomnia.
Before the other could reply back, someone busted through the door.
"I'm so so sorry I'm late everyone! But I'm here now and let's get to business! Where are those cuties?" The person was in fact the photographer, who was a plump woman in her late thirties with a bob cut.
"Ah. You must be the A.N Jell boys." She stopped in front of Mi Nam and Jeremy, catching their attention. "Oh, I'm going to have fun with you two."
Jeremy and Mi Nam looked at each other, with fear in their eyes.
"My name is Choi Anna. But you can just call me Photographer Choi." She paused. "Now that the introductions are done follow me! We've got to get you out of those clothes!"
He should have known. He should have known that when the theme for the photography session was announced as 'intimate' that was what it really meant. He was going to have to get close with Go Mi Nam. At best, Jeremy thought they'd have to make little physical contact. He was wrong.
This photo session was split into three themes: 'playtime, chore-time, and bedtime'- with about ten sets of photos for each theme. As she explained to them more of details of the photo shoot, Photographer Choi urged on, "Even though they are staged, I want to show people ordinary, or everyday-like scenes from life. Your life, together. Pretend for awhile you are not idols and there are no cameras. Be natural. Some of the themes may seem infantile, but you guys will understand why they are titled that way as we go along. You'll have more fun, I think."
The playtime session came first, taking place on a playground in a park close to the building. Jeremy and Mi Nam first went on the swings. They both had fun swinging, but something was missing for Photographer Choi. She abruptly stopped them claiming that they shouldn't act so distant and interact more with each other.
Then she recommended they blow bubbles.
That couldn't be too bad right?
When everything was set up so they could do so, she modified the situation. "Only one bubble wand." She said, taking the small wands from each of the boys and replacing it with a larger one that could be used by them both.
Jeremy and Mi Nam both held the wand, not really knowing what to do next. It had already been dipped in the solution, so it was ready to blow.
Photographer Choi put her camera down for a second. "My god! Stop looking so awkward!"
The boys did this with hesitation, not really wanting to touch each other.
They both lifted up the bubble wand in unison, as Mi Nam scooted closer to him. Jeremy instantly felt the mood change. Being this close to him…is kind of nice, suddenly.
Mi Nam had the same train of thought, oddly enough. We're touching. This is strange. Why doesn't it feel as awkward as I thought it would? He took it a step further, moving his hand so it was on top of Jeremy's on the wand.
It was at that moment, Go Mi Nam did something totally out of character. "Hyung, let's do it together." He suggested, pressing his cheek against Jeremy's, so they could blow out the wand together.
"Wonderful, boys wonderful." Photographer Choi praised them. "When I count to three, blow the bubbles, okay? 1, 2, 3."
For some reason, when they both pursed their lips together to blow, it made Jeremy feel like they were about to kiss. It set his heart a flutter. All of his attention was on Mi Nam in his peripheral version. Mi Nam's lips they're so…soft looking. Moments like this he…just looks so...he's so...
There was a side to him that Jeremy didn't see, a sweeter side that Ye Eun claimed was there. One day, he hoped he would get to see it.
After the bubble blowing, Photographer Choi told them to go play. "Just go play, boys. Do whatever you feel." Photographer Choi advised. "Act like we're not here."
"Ah, so we're supposed to pretend like we're not being followed around by cameras while we're at a photo shoot?" Mi Nam laughed to himself, heading towards the monkey bars.
Jeremy tapped Mi Nam on the shoulder. "Tag. You're it."
"What? You little sh-" Before Mi Nam could even get out an expletive Jeremy was on the run. "Where do you think you're going? Get back here and un-tag me!"
Jeremy kept sprinting. "You'll never get me!" He stopped for a second to taunt, sticking his tongue out. "Ha!" He was at least ten feet away and over a gigantic sand box.
Mi Nam started running and made a great jump, pouncing on Jeremy.
Jeremy was completely stunned. How did he even jump that far and with so much energy? "I set the standard for long jump in high school!" He laughed, mischievously. "Next time you want to play with me, remember what you're dealing with! You're it!" When Go Mi Nam played a game, he played it with his all.
They both got up out of ground, Jeremy defeated. But, he couldn't lose. "Go Mi Nam! Don't go bragging just yet! "
Mi Nam couldn't believe it but he was actually having fun playing around with Jeremy. It didn't take Jeremy long to catch up and minute later, Mi Nam felt warm hands wrap around his middle, unknowingly he smiled. "Got you!" He heard Jeremy scream.
"Damn." He cursed, snapping out of it.
"Adorable! Mi Nam- that look on your face when Jeremy snuck up behind you is just precious. On to the next scene!"
Jeremy let go of Mi Nam, and they stood in discomfort. Mi Nam i "What are you standing there for? You heard Photographer Choi. Let's go." He yelled.
Even though Hwang Tae Kyung entered the Peach Café quietly, his entrance caused many of the patrons to start buzzing. Even behind the sunglasses you could tell he was a good looking man. He was clad in designer clothes, Tae Kyung was always a sight to behold.
He walked up towards the cash register and ordering area of the café, "Excuse me, I'm looking for a Cho Ye Eun?"
"Ye Eun?" The girl at the register smiled. "Hold on." She left the counter and went to a door labeled employees only in white bubble letters.
A few minutes later, Ye Eun came out with the cashier.
"Can I help you sir?" She gazed at the tall man, mysteriously. She didn't know exactly who he was, but he asked for her by name.
"Iced Americano. Make it snappy, I have other things to do."
Within seconds she knew who was. "Tae Kyung Oppa?" She jumped, attracting attention to both her and Tae Kyung.
"The goal here is to keep anonymity. Can you be quiet?" He almost forgot who he was dealing with. He remembered his first encounter with Jeremy's cousin. She was so excited to meet him. Even though she talks way too much- you can never be bored with her.
"Oh, right, sorry. Please follow me." Ye Eun corrects herself, leading him to a semi-private area. "What are you doing here?" She inquired, sitting him down at an empty table.
"I need your help with something." He sat down.
"You need my help?" She pointed towards herself.
"Yes."
She swiftly looked out the window and up to the sky. "That's weird; I don't see any pigs flying."
"Ye Eun, I'm serious."
"Wow, I never thought the high and mighty Tae Kyung would come and ask the humble old Ye Eun for anything."
Tae Kyung got impatient with her attitude. "Are you going to make my drink anytime soon?"
"Coffee? Oh my! I'm sorry. I forgot. I'll go get that for you." Ye Eun scrambled back over to the counter.
"Who's that handsome stranger?" Her co-manager asked, full of curiosity as she slyly scooted over from her post at the register to gossip with Ye Eun.
"He's just an old friend." Ye Eun laughed before quickly grabbing a plastic cup, filling it with ice before and pouring the Americano mixture out the designated pitcher.
"I." She slid back her register. "You know such handsome men. I'm jealous."
Ye Eun ran back over to Tae Kyung and put down his coffee, taking a seat in front of him.
"For a server you're rather inattentive." If he didn't remind her he probably wouldn't have gotten his order.
"Tae Kyung, as my friend Ellie probably told you, I'm on my break right now and I'm hungry. So, what do you need?" She was a bit snappy with him, considering the fact she was so hungry.
"Advice." He said simply, sipping his coffee.
"From me? Of all people? Honestly, I'm the last person you should ask-" Ye Eun was in no position give anyone advice.
"I need… woman advice."
"Did I hear…you, Hwang Tae Kyung, say you needed woman advice?" Ye Eun was really confused now. "You couldn't go to Shin Woo?"
He coughed. "No."
"Oh- Tae Kyung, is it possible that you were too...embarrassed?"
"That's- that's not it. I just need woman advice from a woman."
"You don't have any girls that are friends?"
"Not any really close ones. It would be too comfortable for me."
Ye Eun adjusted her apron. "I see."
"Besides that, you were friends with her in high school. So you're the only person I know that knows Mi Nyu like that. That's why I need you to help me."
"Okay." She clapped her hands together. "Tell me what's on your mind."
"I'm going to propose." Tae Kyung hardly ever asked for help and it was hard for him to word. "But I don't have a definite plan yet. I would like some outside input."
"Oh my!" Ye Eun squealed. "You're going to propose! This is so exciting!"
"Yes." He smiled. It wasn't often she got to talk to the A.N Jell members like this, especially Tae Kyung, and seeing him smile was a rarity.
"Oh, Tae Kyung oppa, look at you. I haven't ever seen you this happy. Oh, you guys are so cute! Its a shame I haven't been able to see you two together! Goodness, your children are going to be adorable and talented!" She spoke so fast Tae Kyung could've sworn she just broke a world record.
"Children?" Tae Kyung was caught off guard by the word. That was something he hadn't really thought about in depth. "Those...?" It's not that he completely hated them, he just didn't prefer them.
"You know she's going to want them! She loves children! Even in high school she talked about having a big family when she got married."
Tae Kyung felt a migraine coming on just from the word children. "Let's get on topic please."
"Even though I am not really a romantic person anymore as I make up for it with sheer creativity. I will do my best to help you sweep her off of her feet." Ye Eun earnestly wanted to help him and was determined to help him propose coolly. "Believe in me, Tae Kyung oppa."
Jeremy rested his head on the table, letting its coolness slowly radiate down from his cheek through his body. He quite disliked days spent with excessive Mi Nam exposure. "Today was so exhausting."
Ye Eun put down a tall strawberry-banana smoothie for her cousin. It was around the middle of her shift when she saw her cousin come through the doors of the Peach Café, with a large shiny red box in his hand.
Now her shift was over and most of the people had left, and she was relieved she could finally talk to him and not have to see his pouty face every time she turned around.
Ye Eun sat down in front of him, straightening out her dress she had underneath her apron. "Tell me about it." She sighed. "What's got you down?"
"Photo shoot with Go Mi Nam."
"Oh." Ye Eun giggled. "It couldn't have been that bad."
He took a big sip of his smoothie, gazing at his cousin disdainfully.
"Aw, don't give me that look."
He kept on sipping, his mood changing the more he consumed. It was hard to stay in a bad disposition with such a delicious treat in front of him.
"So, what's in box?" Ye Eun decided she ought to switch topics, for her own sanity.
He stopped sipping momentarily to reply, 'birthday present' before going back to his smoothie again.
"Mi Nam's?"
"Hm." He nodded, suddenly pushing his smoothie aside. "For Mi Nam and Mi Nyu."
"You actually got him a gift? I'm shocked."
"Yeah well…It's nothing really."
"What'd you get?" Ye Eun hunched over in excitement, grabbing the wrapped box.
"For Mi Nyu, I had a specialist at Etude House make a personalized gift basket for her. For Mi Nam...I got him Hulk Hands."
"What a sweet heart!" She commented. He had consistently put in care and effort when he gave gifts. Now was no exception. She found it funny that Jeremy decided upon simply getting him a toy, but he'd enjoy it. "Hulk Hands? Oh, Mi Nam will love it for sure."
"I even brought something for you!" Jeremy pulled a small pink perfume box from his pocket. "Raspberry Bliss." He handed it to her.
"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Ye Eun hesitated in taking it. She didn't do anything to deserve this. Of course, her cousin insisted. Ye Eun couldn't deny it, ultimately anyway, as she absolutely loved raspberries. She carefully opened the box, taking out a palm sized perfume bottle that was shaped like a raspberry with little red jewels encrusted around the cap.
She was delighted. "Oh, Jeremy you're so thoughtful! Thank you so much!" She placed the bottle back into the box before slipping it into her pocket.
"You deserved to be spoiled every once in awhile too." He smiled.
"Ah, Ye Eun!" Jeremy took this opportunity to see if Ye Eun would open up about Mi Nam. "Could I ask you something? It's about-"
"No." She replied flat out, not even letting him finish. Ye Eun knew what he was trying to do.
"Ye Eun, come on." What was so bad that she just couldn't bear to tell him?
"I said it once and I'm not going to say it again: I don't want to talk about it."
Jeremy still pressed on, wanting to know the truth. "Ye Eun, that year you said you studied abroad- did you really just leave him to be with another guy? That's what he told me. It's not what I want to believe but...its all I know since I was only told his side of the story." Jeremy was almost afraid to continue asking. "Tell me what really happened. I won't judge."
The air between his cousin and him quickly became uncomfortable.
After what I tell you next, On Yu, you're really going to hate me."
"Hate you?" He'd never heard Ye Eun like this and that made him genuinely worried. "Why would I hate you?"
"For keeping this from you. There are few people that know this other than mom and dad." She all of her words came out so much slower than they normally did, and it was obvious this was paining her in some way. "I've only recently started to tell other people. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner…"
"There's not much you've kept from me, what more could there be?" While it was true his perception of his cousin had already been altered, there was nothing that could really he felt could deter him at this point. The truth was the truth. "If you cheated then you cheated and-"
She pulled a picture out of her dress pocket. Jeremy watched as she unfolded it and smoothed it out, unable to see what was on the photo because kept it covered with her hands. Slowly, she pushed it towards him. "This…." She started, "is why I left."
Jeremy picked up the photograph. It was a picture of a little girl. She had on a yellow dress and had a matching bow in her hair, which was to her shoulders. In the picture she was on a panda in park, smiling a smile Jeremy knew too well to be Ye Eun's. "This girl…who is she?" The girl looked almost like…Mi Nam.
"Min Jee." She exhaled deeply, hands shaking. "My daughter."
