Friend
I Thought of You
"Being successful means something different to each person...Respect that."
“I want to become a journalist.”
“I want to be a singer.”
The kids laughed.
“What?” young Eunhyuk questioned.
“You can’t be a singer.”
“Why not? It’s my dream.”
“You’re never going to be good enough to be a singer!”
Eunhyuk stared at the microphone on display and smiled. Turning around he walked away.
Heading down the sidewalk he stuck both hands into his jeans pocket and felt the fresh wind brush against his face. Victoria had dropped him off at home the other night and he could still remember telling her that there was someone he liked.
Had he been such a fool to say such a thing to her? He felt like scratching his eyes out.
Eunhyuk climbed onto the bus at the bus stop and found an empty seat at the back. Staring out the window he spotted a group of boys and girls dominating the sidewalk. He and Victoria used to walk the streets after school. They did it everyday.
Actually, he really missed it when Victoria would appear on his doorsteps with some snacks. She’d ask him out to the park and they’d eat to their heart’s content there. In their junior year of high school, she suddenly stopped appearing. They met every so often, but she never brought snacks over anymore.
It was amazing how he’d become so attached to her over the years. That fourth day of March when Victoria happily congratulated him for getting his first girlfriend, he knew then that Victoria wouldn’t have feelings for him. And so, he’d never thought of her that way until recently.
He hadn’t realized that the two of them had basically grown up together. He watched her transform into an elegant woman with much charm and she’d watched him become a man. All of a sudden so many things had changed over the years.
The ringing of his phone brought his attention back to reality. As he answered it he got up to leave the bus.
“Where are you?” it was Victoria.
“I’m almost there,” he replied.
“Hurry up!!” Victoria wailed.
“What is it this time?” he asked. “It’s not another surprise where you throw water balloons at me, is it?”
She laughed, “You’re so going to love me today.”
“As if I don’t.” he muttered before turning around the corner.
Victoria waved ecstatically to him from where she sat beside a water fountain. Hanging up he started toward her, but found her bounding toward him instead.
“Look!” she squealed shoving a paper into his face.
“What’s this?” he asked taking it from her.
“They’re recruiting artists! Or more like holding auditions,” Victoria spoke from the side, “you should go for it.”
“Tsh…me?”
“You’ll do great!” Victoria encouraged.
“Naw…” he handed her the paper, “what am I going to do with the rest of my life if I become a singer? There’s more like a 75% chance that I’ll fail out there than succeed.”
“It’s not about just succeeding,” Victoria followed him as he turned around to walk away, “no one can absolutely guarantee that you’ll succeed. It’s about chasing your dream. Why don’t you go dance? You love dancing, don’t you?”
“I’m not that good.”
“Oh yea right,” Victoria ignored him, “you like it when people start crowding around you and cheering. I’ve seen that look on your face.”
“I don’t want to. What about my parents, who’s going to look after them?”
Victoria suddenly ran around him and paused in front of him with both of her fingers pointing to herself.
“Uh…me?” she said. “You haven’t forgotten that I’m still here, right?”
“You can’t do it.”
“I so can.”
“What about school?”
“You can just drop out, most celebs do that,” Victoria implored.
He turned to her.
“What about you?”
She stared at him before cocking her head to the side.
“Me, you don’t need to worry about me,” Victoria assured, “you can just have Donghae baby sit me, or Kyuhyun and Seohyun look after me. I can promise you that I’ll still be standing on two legs when you return.”
“As if you’ll be standing on four.”
Victoria pushed him.
“I knew you’d be like this, so I signed you up already.”
“You….what!”
Victoria smiled, “November 13 at the mall. You’re signed up for 4:00. Oh boy, isn’t the date coming up quick?”
“Yah!” he shouted.
“Because if I don’t do this for you, you won’t do anything for yourself,” Victoria stated.
Eunhyuk felt his heart soften. He appreciated her so much.
“You didn’t need to do this…”
“So, if you pass, will you tell me the identity of the girl you like?”
His gaze fell back onto her. He was such a fool for having said that.
“Don’t you think it’d be extremely cool if she can see you on TV and proudly exclaim that, ‘This is my boyfriend’?”
A surge of disappointment crashed inside him as he continued to watch her talk on.
The next week he found himself practicing deliriously 12 hours a day. He’d skipped classes and couldn’t find time to eat. However, when Victoria poked her head through the door he found himself feeling delighted. She’d come with sandwiches for him, energy drinks, and coffee to keep him going.
“Wah…you’re so good!” Victoria clapped her hands excitedly after the routine song ended.
“Handsome?” he asked with a smirk.
“Extremely,” she held both her thumbs up.
She handed him a bottle of water. He took it from her gratefully before the next song popped up.
Turning back to her he smiled, “Lets dance.”
“What? No, I can’t,” she shook her hands in front of her.
“Just once, come on,” he urged.
“No, really, I can’t dance, you know it.”
He reached an arm out to grab the arm she was hiding behind her back. After a minute he finally grabbed her lower arm and pulled her up. Eunhyuk too a step back from the force before he found themselves staring at each other. The heat in the room suddenly went up and he could feel himself sweating terribly. There wasn’t a second where their eyes turned away.
The lump in his throat remained even when he swallowed his saliva. Pressing his lips together he felt himself fall into a stagnant daze.
They were so close, so close.
Victoria pulled away and turned away with an awkward smile.
“I need to go use the bathroom.” she left the room.
As the music continued to pound the walls, Eunhyuk’s heart didn’t stop racing.
~.~.~.~.~
Eunhyuk was tired. She could see it, but no matter how tired he was she could see a hero in him.
As the timer on the oven went off she quickly turned around and pulled out the cake she’d baked. Spreading cream and decorating the cake, she left the house an hour later.
The sky was dark now. Finally reaching her destination, she sat down and reached for her phone.
“It’s me,” Victoria told, “come out.”
A few minutes later, she could hear footsteps nearing.
“What is it? Why call me out so late at night?” he whined before sitting down beside her.
She turned to him with a smile.
“Close your eyes.”
“What are you up to this time?”
“Close them!”
“Aish…”
When he shut his eyes, Victoria turned around, quickly lit up the candles on the cake, and turned back to him.
“Ok, you can open your eyes now.”
“What’s this?” he asked. “Suave Eunhyuk, Fighting! Did you make this?”
“Of course.” she smiled proudly.
“It’s ugly.”
Flustered, Victoria glared at him and almost hit him.
“I’m just kidding,” he laughed. “You’re so feisty.”
“Your audition’s tomorrow, right?” she asked.
He nodded.
“You nervous?”
“Of course! Who do you think I am?”
“Lee Hyukjae, my best friend.”
Eunhyuk’s gaze changed and he stared at her for a long time before smiling.
“Thanks,” he said quietly, “you are my best, best, best friend too.”
Friend. Best friend. Just a friend. The words kind of hurt a little, but Victoria smiled anyway. She couldn’t be any more thankful for this person.
She became surprised when he took the tray out of her hands and set it aside. He was quiet before he turned back to her.
“I have one favor,” he started.
Her ears blocked out any other noise and her heart pounded severely fast behind her rib cage.
“If I make it through the audition, when I become a singer, let me serenade you.”
Eunhyuk had totally captivated her.
“And the girl I like…if I pass the audition, when I become famous, I’ll tell you then. I’ll get it to you somehow…let you know her identity.”
Victoria stared at him with her heart slowly melting.
“I promise you.”
Unable to say anything she could only smile.
They were quiet for a moment. The night clouds cast its shadow over the moon enveloping the two of them in a complete darkness before the clouds shifted.
“Can I hug you?” he asked.
Victoria allowed her eyes to meet with his and nodded. For the first time, instead of initiating the hug, she felt him wrap both arms around her. As he pulled her near him she could feel her breath being taken away.
It would probably be the last time she could feel his presence physically before he’d leave to pursue his dreams. The last time. Victoria inched her hands forward and clung onto his shirt.
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