“I really like to put these flowers on your head oppa. Its suits you, how can you be so cute with it?” Luna mused as she puts the crown of flowers on my head.

Today is our dress rehearsal for our musical. It is my third work after graduating college almost two years ago and I have been enjoying it so far. Besides from loving my job, I met friends in which I had worked with, many times in the theatre.

“Why do you always make me look cute? I am handsome okay?” I said fixing my bangs.

Luna raised her brow. She is my junior here but we are close like siblings. She helps us in the props and costumes since there aren’t so many roles for female in this particular musical. Besides from being an all around worker here, she’s a good actor and is one of our director’s favourites.

“You are handsome okay? But I will call you and Sungmin oppa cute as much as I want,” she crossed her arms and looked at me from head to toe analyzing if my costume was okay now. “I wonder what you two are doing to make yourselves look young.”

“We are not that old!” Sungmin butted in. He came into the dressing room still wearing the clothes he used at the practice a while ago. “Our age is not far from you...”

Luna ignored his comment and began fussing about why Sungmin wasn’t dressed yet. “Oppa it will start in thirty minutes! Why are you still wearing that?” She panics and runs to get my best friend’s costume. She threw it at him before pushing him into the cubicle to get dressed.

“It’s just a rehearsal Luna... we can start anytime...”

“Well for me I will treat it like the first show. You guys should have this mindset always,” she lends me a bouquet of flowers.

“What is this?”

“Your props? It’s for the goddess...”

“I feel like I’m going to the army now wearing this...” Sungmin commented once he finished changing clothes. Luna went to him to fix his make-up and hair.

“It’s not exactly what you guys wear in the army nowadays...”

“You’re right... but eventually it will be my time to go.”

“Stop. Please, I don’t want to talk about this topic okay? I still have years before I fulfil mine. I still have many roles to do before that,” I said which I honestly believe. Although going early while you are still young is nice, I am still enjoying my busy life now. It can wait for a few more years.

“Yeah, me too.” Sungmin only said.

“By the way, where are the other guys? Are they already dressed?”

“You didn’t see them? They are outside now...practicing their lines onstage,”

I stood up from the chair that I was sitting at. “What? Then what are we doing here then?”

Sungmin looked calmed unlike me and he just sat down on the long chair and put out his phone to play with it. “We are here to relax. I told them to call us when Seohyun arrives.”

“Oh yes... we can’t start until the goddess arrives. I pity her schedule right now. Why did her parents choose to move apartment now that she’s staring in a new musical?”

“I don’t know about that... but it is better now that she will be living with them. You don’t know much I miss my parents whenever I see my empty apartment,” I stated. I have been living by myself for more than six years but I am not yet used to it. Though, I could not bring my parents to where I live.

“But they do visit you many times a month right?”

I nodded. And that is why I feel bad that they had to go to me during the times I cannot visit home. But it doesn’t happen always because they have their own commitments back there in our hometown too.

“I think your mom visits you because she’s worried that you are still alone in your apartment. She thinks you need company,” Sungmin said.

“Why did you think about that?”

“Mom used to do that before when I was living in the university dorms right? She thinks it is lonely to live alone...”

“But I’m not lonely! I am happy look,” I expressed my happiness in my face. “Do I look depressed to you?”

Luna and Sungmin exchanged stares as if communicating a silent conversation and sighed. “Whatever. Let’s just say your parents miss you okay?” she shakes her head.

I feel like I know what the two wants to hint at me but I decided not to press on that topic. Hahaha. It frustrates my best friend on how much I avoid those kinds of things.

“I will just go to a quiet place and practice my lines okay?” I excused myself and thought that I heard conversations after I closed the dressing room door. If those two plans another match making session with me again I swear I’m going to un-friend them.

~~~~

“Okay guys! That was a very good show despite that it is only our dress rehearsal. I hope that tomorrow will be as great as our performance today, or perhaps greater than this. I have faith in you guys that we will bring another good show to the audience,” our director said after the rehearsal. “This is all for today and I hope you guys will take a rest for our big day tomorrow. Goodbye and see you tomorrow everyone!”

After his final words he dismissed us and we all went back to the dressing room to change into our civilian clothes. The first thing that I did was to check my phone for any missed calls and I realized that it is already six in the evening. That is why I'm feeling starved right now.

"Hey Wookie. Are you coming with us tonight?" My co-actors called me while I was in the changing room.

"Coming to where?"

"Let's go out to eat. Let's celebrate for our new musical!"

"Eh? Isn't it too early? I think the celebration should be tomorrow or on the last day?" These friends of mine really like to eat outside even though we have work tomorrow. If our director learns about this he will give another long lecture to them.

“Come on Wookie… it’s just for today. We will just be eating… no drinking or else we will get a terrible hangover again,” he promised.

I looked at Sungmin and shared a silent conversation asking him if he will come too. He nods so I turned back to my friend again confirming my attendance.

“But I will go home early tonight huh? I’m too tired,”

“Sure. We will all go home after eating…”

Shortly afterwards, we went to a nearby restaurant to eat our dinner. Luna and Seohyun joined us boys for tonight as usual. We’ve done this numerous times whenever we finish our daily rehearsals and I admit I like this better than eating alone in my apartment. Although I refuse sometimes when I know my mother will be coming to the city.

“Seohyun-unnie how is your new apartment now? Can I see it sometime?” Luna asked while we are eating.

“Sure but I think that would be a long time… There is too much stuff to move in. Plus, dad is repainting the whole apartment since he doesn’t like the color.”

“It’s okay. I’m still busy right now,”

“Busy? I thought you’re just going dates with you ‘boy friend’,” Sungmin said beside me, emphasizing the last word. His mouth is still full of food but he can’t help teasing our dongsaeng.

“He is not my boyfriend. He is just a friend okay? You are just like my mom,” she grumbled.

“Well Sungmin is really like our mom!” one of our friends laughed. “But I agree that you two look like a couple.”

Luna turned pink embarrassed with the topic we are currently in. She is the youngest among us and we love to but everyone treats her like a younger sister.

“Stay away from him okay? You just met him and now he thinks you can go beyond friendship already. He will just break your heart,” Seohyun advised.

“You sound like a mother!”

“Oh shut up pleaseee,”

“Why are we talking about dating here?  You guys know that this is my least favorite topic to be talked about,” I said.

“Oh here comes the number one love hater. You should be the one going into dates not this little dongsaeng here,” he tackles Luna into a bear hug in which she struggles to pull away.

“If we are just going to talk about my lack of love life here then I might just go now. I feel sleepy now and I’m afraid I would fall asleep inside the taxi,”

“No, you stay here. I will drive you home didn’t I said it a while ago?” Sungmin held my arm.

“Why don’t you go out to dates oppa? You’re in mid-twenties now,” Luna frankly asked. She has been persistent to make me go out by arranging blind dates that I always end up ditching

“Because you and Sungmin always plan dates for him,” our friend laughs again. It’s a wonder how he doesn’t choke up in eating while laughing.

“If I was Wookie I wouldn’t do it too. I don’t fancy dates with someone I barely know,” Seohyun commented. “Who knows that might be a bad person.”

I held up my hands with her for a high five. “You got my point girl,”

Sungmin rolls his eyes and I grinned at him. “Why don’t you find yourself a girlfriend instead?”

“That’s a good question. Don’t tell me you haven’t moved on yet from your last relationship?”

“I don’t know… I just don’t feel it right now. Besides, dad is already pressuring me to find someone already or else he will find arrangements with his friends.” His face fell upon revealing the problems that he kept to himself for months now.

“You haven’t told me about this,” I stated.

“I didn’t have the time to do it…”

“That … why don’t you just find a temporary girlfriend? At least you would save yourself from that arranged marriage,” our friend suggested.

“Or you can ask Luna to be your girlfriend,” other said jokingly.

“That sounds weird… but I’m willing to help you oppa,” she winked and held my best friend’s hands. The rest of us burst into laughter and Sungmin pouted