The first time he sang to her was back in 2015 while she was still giving him lessons and they were friends-but-more-than-friends. Well, he didn’t exactly sing to her directly, and he doubted that she even knew he was singing it to her, but in his mind, the song was perfect for describing how he felt towards her then.

Gentle and kind you
I’m not attracted to anymore
Even though at first
I was swept away (Baby)

It was her powerful voice that first got him hooked. That and the beautiful smile. And the twinkling eyes.

What can he say? He is a guy, after all. Physical beauty and all that.

He later learnt that she was indeed kind, maybe not so gentle, but definitely big-hearted. After all, she agreed to meet with him out of her own free time and help him to improve vocally.

But most of all, he loved that she could match up to his energy and understood his need to be occupied with something all the time. She never once got frustrated with him even when he had to walk around and seemingly in circles while she taught him patiently.

Upperclassmen, underclassmen and the guy friends you know

Why is there so many? Why do you accept them?
I don’t have the right to say such things but
Oh no!

He soon realized that he was not the only one to have fallen for her charms and personality.

“Jin-ah, sorry I’m late!” Jaehwan huffed as he ran towards his good friend Jin from BTS.

“It’s okay,” Jin replied, still engrossed scrolling on his phone. Jaehwan, curious, scooted over to look over his shoulder.

“Is that…?”

“Eunji-shi,” Jin replied, smiling. “She just followed me back on Instagram!”

Jaehwan tried not to give his emotions away. “Ahh, I see…”

“She’s so cute, don’t you think? And such a nice person too.”

“You’ve spoken to her?” Jaehwan kept his voice level.

Jin nodded excitedly. “We met on The Show two nights ago and chatted for a long while.”

“She even gave me her number!”

Please don’t laugh like that
If you smile my world changes (everything changes)
Like how I did before

Trying to keep your pretty self to myself, is this greed?

“Aish, I’m so tired today,” she declared as she plopped herself beside him on the floor of his practice room. Jaehwan pulled out his earpiece and paused the music he was listening to while waiting for her earlier as she rested her head on his shoulder. She fit into the crook of his neck perfectly.

“Tiring practice?”

She nodded, and then looked up at him with puppy eyes. “Cheer me up?” She smiled.

His mind turned to mush.

He did the first thing he could think of. He pretended to rummage through his jacket, and eventually pulled out a symbol of a heart with his fingers.

Her laughter was like a symphony to his ears.

Stop it now
Stop it, stop it, I can’t watch
You talking to some other guy
My girl, my girl I’m going insane
I can’t keep my emotions in control
You, only look at me
You, only be mine
I beg you, stop it girl

Woah~ Please love me girl

“Eunji-ah.”

She was lounging on a beanbag across from him in the tiny practice room, hugging his new chicken pillow and drowning in his hoodie. She looked up from her phone.

“Do you have a lot of friends in the industry?”

She looked so cute as she tilted her head in consideration. “I guess you can say that I do meet and know a lot of people.”

“Do you… do you talk and share a lot with them?”

“Some, yes. It’s easier to share somethings because they are going through the same experiences too.”

“Guy friends?” Jaehwan knew he was pushing it.

She nodded, seemingly oblivious. “Probably more so than girl friends.”

Jaehwan’s heart sank.

“I feel like it’s easier to connect with them than girls sometimes.”

A gentleman with glasses can’t make anything interesting

I know that, but can I even go up to you?
I go pale as paper, my head freezes
My face is stone and my lips are glued to each other
Better explain that other guy’s motive
That man’s true self is a wolf
You’ll be in trouble, danger
Any men that isn’t me is bad, remember
Stop that habit of smiling too much

Her musical laughter filled the room.

“I didn’t know that you wore spectacles!”

Jaehwan blushed. “I usually wear contacts, but I had a late night last night and my eyes could barely open this morning. Hence the spectacles.”

She cupped his cheeks with both her hands, and touched the side of his spectacles. “You look so cute!” She smiled, her eyes twinkling into his.

Jaehwan contemplated throwing out all his contact lenses.

You look your best when you smile
But what’s this irony? I’m sad (Why sad)
You who don’t understand my feelings
But why does my stupid heart like you?

There were many moments where Jaehwan wished his eyes were like a camera – if only he could blink and immediately capture what he saw as a photo that could last forever. Truth be told, this was one of the many superpowers he wished he could have, and dreamt of inventing when he was young boy.

One of the moments was now – Eunji had suggested going up to the rooftop after their lesson in the stairwell, and Jaehwan agreed. After exclaiming over the view and enjoying the breeze for a bit, Jaehwan gamely spread out his puffy black windbreaker to use as a mat to sit on.

She had sat there and closed her eyes, smiling as her face tilted upward to feel the cool breeze. The light reflecting off her hair and face ecentuated her beautiful features. It was perfect.

“Did you just take a photo of me?”

Jaehwan blushed. “I couldn’t resist.”

She reached over to look at the photo. She smiled as she surveyed the photo, before handing it back to Jaehwan. “You’ll have to delete it.”

“Why?” His voice raised in surprise.

“What if someone sees it?”

I’m getting worried
Bad boy, bad boys all around you
Boys who play around
Stop it, stop it listen to me carefully
Don’t stare at her

She is mine
Shut up, now leave us be!
Now stop it, stop it boy

It was the countdown music festival, and all the artistes were gathered on stage to prepare for the finale and countdown. The cameras were yet to start rolling and so it was noisy and a mess, but out of the corner of his eye, Jaehwan spotted Eunji with her group.

They were interacting with another male idol group.

Jaehwan watched as one of them whispered something into Eunji’s ear, and she laughed in response.

His heart burned.

Please trust me
My girl, my girl only to you
I wanna give you my everything
Love me, love me only me
Please smile just for me
You, please only look at me
You, please only be mine
Now stop it, stop it girl

There was no way around it. He was addicted to her laugh and her smile.

If only he had the courage to sing this to her.

----------

- Stop it Girl by VIXX from Chained Up album (2015)

AN: I'm not sure why the formatting is kind of weird in some parts, but I hope it is clear enough to tell the different sections apart.