In-ah’s POV

Once again, I was back at it, strumming the same old tune as I left my eventful weekend behind me to return to work on Monday. What had happened these past few days seemed like a blur now, as if my mind was playing tricks on me. But, then again, how was I walking straight and going through my regular routine if I’d been hallucinating all this time?

On my way home from the bus stop, I checked my phone to see if there were any messages, but each time I did, I was disappointed to see nothing new. Maybe I was expecting too much. Though we did agree to stay in contact, the insecure part of me was unsettled by the thought of them forgetting me. No, I had to stay positive. Reasonable. GOT7 were probably busy with continuing their tour. Yeah, singers had it rough with all the constant traveling and practicing and performing; they hardly had time to sleep properly.

…But still, why would a celebrity, or in this case, celebrities, want to stay in touch with an ordinary girl they’d just met?

Curse you, brain. Stop being pragmatic for once.

On the other hand, based on their personalities, the boys weren’t like that. They were genuine with their feelings.

…I really need to stop going in circles. Overthinking things was always the biggest problem of mine. It also didn’t help that I feared my own negativity, that my downfall would be my own fault.

“I’m home! Anything good to eat?” I hollered once I got home, taking off my jacket and shoes. Just as I sank into the couch, I spotted my sister and my parents getting ready for bed. I heard their voices echo through the halls as they replied with their different answers. This was our peaceful routine. Even though there were small interactions between us, I knew that my parents had my back and trusted my judgment in handling my personal matters.

After showering and putting on comfortable clothes, I went into the kitchen to heat up my food. I was about to take a bite when my phone suddenly rang. Who’s calling me so late, I thought, puzzled. I picked up my phone and froze. Jackson’s name was glowing on the screen, and this time, he was…video calling me?!

I immediately panicked. What?! Why?! How?! My first major concern was my bare face and messily tied up hair. I didn’t want to be seen like this!

However, I had to act fast before the ringing would stop and my no-show would be badly misunderstood. I quickly pressed the off-camera button and then accepted the call. This would do for now.

“H-hello? Jackson?” I stumbled on my words as I greeted him.

Jackson’s excited voice answered me, though it became confused soon after. “In-ah, why is the screen black? Did you press the off-camera button? Come on! I want to see you!”

His pleading was effective in making me waver. “Alright, fine. I will turn it back on,” I grudgingly allowed.

“It’s the whole reason why he called, In-ah.” I could see Jae-beom chuckling in the background. “Practice barely ended when he rushed back here just to call you.” Mark and Jin-young snickered at the scowl that morphed on Jackson’s face.

“Wow, hey, you look beautiful without any makeup on.” Jackson’s compliment caught me off guard, making me blush ten different shades of red. He grinned, asking, “So, how was your day?”

I was perplexed why a celebrity like him would be interested in asking such a thing, from a normal girl like me, who worked nearly 24/7 as a scientist.

I opened my mouth to tell him, but then got interrupted when BamBam, Yu-gyeom, and Young-jae pushed Jackson out of the way to steal the spotlight. “Noona! We miss you so much! Oh, hyung wasn’t lying—you do look beautiful. More beautiful than your smile!”

It was impossible to not feel affected by their infectious laughter and liveliness. I brightened up helplessly, returning their smiles.

“Yo, boys, we talked about this!” Jackson chided, most likely glaring at them fiercely. “We take turns to talk. Gimme back my phone.” Once he was visible on-screen again, he focused on me, curiously asking, “Anyway, back to my question. How are you? What did you do today?”

It was a harmless topic, so I managed not to stammer or come up blank when outlining what I did at work. As I did, I eased up, enjoying his company. Having simple yet easygoing conversations like these were what I looked for in a guy.

After speaking with Jackson for a while, the other members politely requested for their turns next. Yu-gyeom showed me parts of a choreography he recently came up with. BamBam displayed the new watch he was itching to buy. Jin-young and I recommended books to each other, describing our favorite aspects and particular letdowns. Mark talked about a game he liked and expressed his frustrations on a certain part he couldn’t defeat. Jae-beom gave me a sneak-peek of a song he was currently working on, while Young-jae wanted my opinion on his singing part for it.

Since I had a variety of interests, from art to food to animations to dramas, it was great that I could relate to the members. However, the same couldn’t be said for Jackson. Our interactions lacked something that didn’t allow us to be as cohesive as the others. At least, that was my assumption.

“Ah, we should all head to bed now,” Jackson said after I yawned. “You got lab stuff, while we got concert stuff. It’s super busy, right?” I nodded drowsily and his answering smile was warm. “Alright, good night, beautiful! Oh, also, be ready for video calls every night. I’m not leaving you alone!” He waved enthusiastically, and my heart fluttered, giddy with joy.

I said good night to the members, also reminding them to eat and sleep well.

A video call every night, huh?

I went to bed, already dreaming for the next call.

~ A month later, GOT7 finished their US tour and came back to Houston to fly back to Seoul, South Korea. ~

Jackson’s POV

“Hyung! Are you sure noona is coming? I want to see her before we leave!”

Worry was clear on Young-jae’s face, his mouth pinched as he surveyed the area again. None of us had expected for him to become so attached to In-ah like a duck to its mother. Usually, he didn’t spend a lot of effort in socializing outside of his circle of friends.

“Yes, don’t worry,” I told him. “We have time before we need to check-in and get our tickets.” I may look calm on the outside, but to tell you the truth, I was restless with anxiousness. My heart was pounding fast as if it wanted to jump out of my chest.

I was like this, trembling with anticipation and nerves, because I wanted to tell In-ah something important.

Jin-young pointed out my transparency without preamble. “Look at you, all jittery. You alright, hyung?”

“Don’t bother lying,” Mark added. “I can read you like an open book.”

Calling me out like that caught everyone else’s attention. They flocked around me, knowing that something was off about my behavior.

I took a deep breath before admitting, “There’s something I need to tell you before In-ah gets here.” I stared at them openly, these guys who I considered my brothers. My brotherly relationship with them made it easier for me to pour out my feelings.

“I like In-ah, and I want her to know that.” I my lips nervously as I tried to explain myself. “There’s, like, this magnetic force that keeps pulling me towards her. She’s so interesting and sincere and hardworking. It’s hard to not like her, you know? I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know how to hold myself back. I have to tell her.”

Mark’s expression was placid but heedful. He grasped my shoulder and squeezed it. “Jackson, I understand where you’re coming from, but you need to keep your head straight and think about it more.”

“Yeah, because you also need to consider her feelings,” Jin-young stated, serious. “You’re an idol, and she’s not. If she dated you, then her life is gonna change drastically. Privacy will be the thing of the past. She’ll constantly be under surveillance. Remember what Dispatch has done to some of our idol friends? It ruined their chances to date.”

Jin-young brought up some very solid arguments; however, there was this strong urge of mine to confess anyway, that I was willing to take the risk.

Jae-beom slung a companionable arm around my shoulders, trying soothe my tangled thoughts. “Listen, Jackson, as your good friend and brother, I support you no matter what decision you make, good or bad. But, ultimately, whatever happens, you’ll be the one who has to face the consequences. So I can only hope that you won’t get hurt.”

“Guys? There you are!”

That was In-ah! She approached us from behind where we were huddled up, absorbed in the topic of my intention to confess.

Here goes nothing, I thought, swallowing hard. Time to tell her. My groupmates each gave me an encouraging look, but I could tell they were worried underneath it all.

In-ah stuttered to a stop before us, confusion replacing the elation on her face. “What’s with all the heavy expressions? Is it because you’re all leaving? Aw, I’ll miss you guys, too!” While she started to dig through her bag, I steeled my nerves and put on my brave face.

“In-ah, I have something important to say to you before I leave, and I hope you’ll give me the response I’m looking for.” At this, she paused to look at me attentively. Inhaling one final breath to steady myself, I let it all out.

“Choi In-ah, I like you!”

The result: In-ah was speechless.

I gathered my wits to finish the rest of the monologue that I’d prepared.

“Jackson—”

“I really like you, In-ah. I’m asking you to accept my feelings. It’s hard for me to explain it, but I’ll do my best. You see, I became drawn to you since the moment we met. And this attraction only grew stronger and stronger the more we got to know each other this past month. I love how you find happiness in the simplest of things. I love how you’re dependable and skilled in what you do. And, although we are complete opposites, I am certain that we can make a relationship work between us. So, please. Come to Seoul. You can get a job as a professor. Or, if that’s too sudden, we can do long-distance until we figure things out. In-ah, just…please be mine.”

“J-Jackson… I…” Her hand shook as she reached out to gingerly take mine. “I… I’m so sorry, Jackson. I can’t be your girlfriend.”

Oh.

“Don’t misunderstand, please. Honestly, it would be a dream come true, if I could date you. But for us, being together, that’s not realistic. Okay? You’re an internationally loved idol, a big shot who belongs to a huge social network. But me? I’m just an ordinary girl trying to become independent. The people I hold close to my heart—it’s my family and a few friends, that’s it. My whole life is here. I can’t just give it up. And…to be honest, I’m not interested in dating right now. I need to focus on other things. So, can we let this go and just stay friends?”

She was on the verge of tears. I could tell she hadn’t been prepared for an emotional onslaught. But, for some reason, I was filled with irrationality and frustration. I abruptly broke free from her grasp and averted my gaze.

“I spent a lot of time building up the courage to confess to you, hoping that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, but…” I shook my head, severely disappointed. “You don’t seem to understand. Fine, then. Forget I said anything. Goodbye. I’m leaving.”

With that, I grabbed my luggage and motioned at my groupmates to follow.

Behind me, I heard Jin-young and Mark hastily trying to console In-ah and bidding her farewell. The rest of the members only had enough time to hug her briefly while she pressed something into their hands.

I didn’t care. Why should I care?

“Hyung, you need to chill before manager-hyung suspects anything,” BamBam whispered to me urgently.

I rotated my neck that was stiff with tension. I needed time to release my stress, that’s all. I could get over this.