Time went by fast. With us managing to cram in one more rehearsal before the actual performance itself on Friday. However, our Mid-semester tests for our majors loomed, and I would be walking around with a history book in my hand, and Miku is glasses, intelligibly reading the latest gossip magazine.
On Friday itself, however, I went to the area an hour early, and sat inside the AV room, with Miku in the chair beside me, surfing her laptop.
"Barzini-sama, not revising?" Miku asked, and I shook my head. Not revising.
"I guess I am ready. Its history after all." I replied Miku and she gave a most Mikutery laugh, lifting herself off the seat and laughing.
"So confident, Barzini-sama! So confident!" Miku "hmphed" me and I rolled my eyes a little, giving a small grin.
"Barzini-sama, how would you feel if like one day, I became real?" Miku asked and I looked up from my iPhone.
"Why do you suddenly ask that?" I asked and stared at her screen. Miku had her own private blog apparently. It's so full of Japanese that I can barely read a few words.
"Just answer me!" Miku pouted and tried to push my face away from the computer, but unfortunately, it merely went through me.
"Eh... Be pretty cool and freaky at the same time I guess? I mean... You're not real. And then you're real. You know that feeling?" I said, gesturing at her from head to toe and she watched my hand, up and down.
"I dunno! Baka! Explain, explain, explain!" Miku pouted and stared at me, clenching her fists.
"Well, when things are not real, you expect them to stay that way right? Turning real would shock me. Like shock. It'll be weeks or months before I accept drastic changes." I said, and Miku nodded, pushing her glasses up like an intellectual such as myself.
"What is the difference from love and like?" Miku proceeded to ask, folding up her white coloured sleeves despite the fact that the AV room was well air-conditioned.
"I guess it's like... You can like a person, but that doesn't mean you love that person. Now for example, look at Jo Kwon and Ga In, from We Got Married. They like each other, that's why they can love one another. But liking doesn't mean love. I can like a person, but that doesn't mean I want to spend the rest of my life with the girl. Or like... My best friend, Amoz, I like him, but I'm definitely not gay." I explained, trying to phrase my words in coherent sentences but obviously failing to do so.
"I don't get it." Miku said and I flipped open my history book on President Hindenburg once more.
"Didn't expect you to." I frowned and rubbed my forehead, re-reading the chapter on the former German President's stand on justifying Germany's entrance into the First World War.
"Meh..."Miku stuck out her tongue and continued typing into the laptop of hers, while I continued reading, gingerly waiting for the audience to file in, along with the rest of the group.
Xxx
"Begin, on time, own target." SOUL's voice sounded through the auditorium and I sat up, peering out through the window and I saw Hannah give me the thumbs-up.
Hitting the play button with the CD, the saxophone started off slow, then quickly, it escalated, and the stage rose, revealing Sakine Meiko on it, her eyes closed and her hands poised in a graceful dancer's position.
Then as the beats came in, Meiko swung her arms side to side with ease, then linked her hands together and gave a mature hip shake with a wink, prompting much wolf whistles, laughter and applause from the audience.
"Tsuyoi chikara... Senaka Osarete...Gururu mawaru... Keshiki ga..." She sang, turning on the spot, and as the song progressed, Meiko's grin widened slightly, and as she hit the chorus, she had a hand over her heart, then forcefully gestured out at the audience.
"Freeze!"
"Michi no basho ni tada hitori!" She sang, her eyes widening significantly, her legs tapping and moving on the floor, then walking forward elegantly like a model-
"Shikata nai ne! Sukoshi..." Meiko continued to speak, a sentence of song, shaking her hips, bending down and making provocative moves still thankfully within the Parental Guidance code of conduct.
"Miku... If only you were like this." I joked and Miku gave a cocky, "HMPH!"
Soon, nearing the repeat of the chorus, some of the audience joined in-
"FREEZE!"
However, my joy of watching was short-lived as there was a knock on the door and I opened it, and I was amused to see who it was.
"Yoohyun! What are you doing here!" I gasped, trying to keep an eye on the stage, the music player and then my friend Yoohyun here.
Yoohyun had entered SM Entertainment a year earlier, having given up an institution of higher education to pursue her dream as a singer from the Korean-based SM Entertainment which debuted many groups such as SNSD (Girls Generation), Super Junior and TVXQ (DBSK).
"They told me you were here! How have you been?" Yoohyun said, her hair now a dark brown instead of black, and her already big eyes even larger with eyeliner, incredibly beautiful.
"Aren't you in Korea? I wasn't expecting you till-" I said, and Miku cut in.
"Who is she, Barzini-sama?" She asked, and I quickly lifted a finger to wipe the tear from my right ear. I was elated to meet my former crush.
"This is Yoohyun! We had a crush on each other and we knew, but we were both too cowardly to-" I started, and Yoohyun raised her fist and I cowered. Just like old times.
"No need to go into details! Hey, you really got yourself a robot girlfriend? That desperate?" Yoohyun winked and that term robot got into me.
"Hologram, Yoohyun!" I said and quickly turned my attention to the stage again, where Meiko had hit the last bit of the choreography, a last blast from the saxophone, and Meiko vanished, replaced by a rose that slowly dropped to the floor, followed by rapturous applause.
"We need to take a bow!" I freaked and dashed from the AV Room, grabbing Yoohyun with me, my mind a blank, and as we all went on stage, she appeared natural and took a bow with all of us.
"Wait the count is off. Who is that girl?" SOUL's voice boomed through the auditorium, and Nicole pointed accusingly at me.
"Wha wha! What forever alone!" Nicole said, and Kaito gasped.
"So pretty!" SeeU said, and Yoohyun covered part of her face with her hand shyly and bowed.
"Its... My friend. She came to visit me from SM Entertainment." I took the microphone and kindly explained, and the crowd wowed.
"WOW. That means she can sing!" SOUL cheered and she gave a small shy giggle, hiding behind me.
"Duet! Duet! Duet!" Some bast- person from the crowd cried out and everyone cheered.
"Duet or fifteen marks will be deducted." SOUL said, and I covered my mouth this time, one, I couldn't sing. Yet, I have to also.
"I want to duet with Barzini-sama instead!" Miku protested but everyone else drowned her out, making her pout and cling tightly onto Luka's hand.
"Let's do it Barzini... Like last time." Yoohyun smiled and accepted another microphone, and being able to sing with my former crush... It's...
"Wae naman... Naegeollo... Motaneunji~ Ibyeorui sangcheoro apeunji!" I sang, and I could hear SeeU gasp, and her frantic translation to Miku.
Why was I the only one who didn't know... How painful the scars of separation are?
"Miku... Let's go backstage." Luka said and I turned around slightly to see Luka, Mai and Miku walking away.
What- What was wrong?
Xxx
Hello all! This rather short chapter came amidst an extremely busy time for me, in between projects of great importance and my commitment to my school's taekwondo team.
As you may or may not see, I will be rapidly progressing the story plot from here on out to compensate for our slow updating with more... Thought invoking plots.
Maybe you all have guessed the plot. Maybe not.
Now, I would like to wish Yoohyun, my friend in SM Entertainment, the utmost best of luck in her future endeavours in the company.
Yoohyun! I will be looking forward to your debut!
And thank you all for reading!