Chapter Ten

"Do you know why they say that you're good at judo?”

"Why?”

"You look innocent and because you look innocent, you can attack your opponent when they

least expect it. You have the element of surprise.”

"Eh? Is that it? Thanks for the compliment, I guess.”

"Never said that it was. I personally think that you're rash and deceiving.”

"Well, Sora, I think that you're too polite and nice. You let people step on you.”

"I don't care. At least it makes them happy.”

"What makes you happy?”

"Why bother asking? You know what makes me happy, Jonghyun.”

[present]

After spraying on some cologne, Jonghyun fixed up his shirt's collar and stared at his own reflection, posing.

He looked presentable.

In fact, Jonghyun hadn't looked this presentable in months.

Seeing himself all cleaned up was something he'd have to get used to again. That morning, Jonghyun had chopped off his shaggy hair. His new hairstyle was neat and short, just like it had been before the hiatus. He had even shaved the stubble off from his chin and above his upper lip. He wore a pair of black pants and a formal blazer. Once he stepped out of his house, he knew he'd be recognised. His disguise had lasted him comfortably long, but if he was going on a date, he had to look good...even if it meant acting like a narcissist.

Jonghyun heard a light giggle behind him.

“Getting ready for something, aren't you?”

He pivoted on his heels and saw his older sister, Minrae, pointing a finger and laughing at him.

Minrae came out from behind the door. Like old times, Minrae's sisterly duty was to sneak into Jonghyun's room when he'd least expect it. Jonghyun had most likely inherited her uncanny sneaking skills from his older sibling. “You're so going on a date! Wait till mother and father hear about this!”

“No, I'm not!” Jonghyun vigorously shook his head, but he couldn't hide the smile that formed on his lips.

Minrae didn't fail to see his smile, mirroring the quirk on his lips almost identically. Many people who personally knew the Lee family compared Jonghyun to Minrae, for they almost looked like twins. While Jonghyun was blessed with good looks, Minrae was also stunningly beautiful. Various model agencies had scouted her, but Minrae had declined all of them. The fame, money and media never attracted her and despite Jonghyun joining CNBLUE, nothing had changed between them.

Jonghyun was grateful for it.

“Here, let me help fix your tie.” Considering he couldn't say no, Jonghyun watched as his sister fussed around with the piece of material. He rolled his eyes when he saw her give a triumphant smirk. “That's better. You almost look handsome.”

“Thanks,” Jonghyun replied, gruffly.

She still didn't leave, continuing to watch him. She actually had the nerve to sit down on his bed. “So...”

Jonghyun didn't like the tone in his sister's voice. He's wasn't in the mood to play cat and mouse, so he spoke out his intentions clearly. “What do you want, Minrae?”

“Sora,” she said, simply. “She's your date tonight, right?”

“How'd you know?”

“A sister's intuition,” Minrae laughed, but when she saw the glare Jonghyun sent her she shook her head. “I'm just kidding. Fine, maybe I'm not. Just a lucky guess because you've never dressed up like this for any of your dates in the past.”

“I might have changed.”

“You'll never change,” Minrae smiled, slyly. “Yes, the outside is polished and clean, but you're the same in the inside, Jonghyun. You're still rough around the edges and easy for me to read. Ever since you told me that you bumped into Sora yesterday, you've been flipping out.”

“I am not flipping out,” Jonghyun scolded.

He was beginning to regret telling his sister everything. With none of the band members around around, he had resorted to spilling everything to Minrae. It wasn't that he disliked his sister; it’s just she picked the right moments to - and she did it well.

“It's about time though, you know?” She sighed, fantasising. “You've liked her since forever. I've always wanted Sora as a sister-in law. I can't wait till you get married and have kids together-”

“Get out!” Jonghyun threw a pillow at her, which she easily dodged.

Chortling, she advanced towards Jonghyun and gave him an encouraging hug for moral support. She ruffled his hair up. “Good luck.”

Jonghyun smiled. The butterflies in his stomach had settled down, even if it was for a minute.

•••••••••••••••

When Jonghyun saw the familiar oak tree, he simpered. Despite being dressed in an expensive suit, he climbed up the tree. Loose bark fell under him as he progressed higher. He stopped when he reached the third branch. Diligently, he pushed himself further away from the trunk and bent his back forward. With all his might, Jonghyun stretched and began to knock on the window.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Nothing.

He kept knocking until the owner of the room the window upwards. The sudden movement almost sent him flying off the branch and tumbling onto the ground.

“Jonghyun!” Sora looked both bewildered and amused. “What are you doing up here?”

“What I always used to do.” He shrugged.

“You don't need to sneak in. There's a thing such as ringing the doorbell, Jonghyun. You know my mother loves you so you don't need to be afraid.”

“I know, but isn't this form of entry more entertaining?” Jonghyun persisted on, “For old time's sake.”

The countless nights he had spent sitting besides her window, laughing, teasing and just...talking. Jonghyun missed it. From nights of talking about everything, to the nights when they wouldn’t mutter a single word to each other. The closeness he felt with Sora had always been so calming. He hated phone calls, so even if it meant getting out of his house in the middle of the night to see her, Jonghyun would do it. A phone call was a phone call, however speaking to a person in real life was more valuable to the guitarist.

He queried, “Are you going to leave me hanging here?”

Sora made way for Jonghyun, opening the window at its widest and sweeping the curtains away for him to enter.

Once he was inside, Sora looked at him head to toe. She frowned at his appearance, bottom lip slightly pouting.

“What?” Jonghyun said, glancing down at his clothing and dusting the bits of bark that stuck to it.  “Do I look that bad?”

“I like your rugged look more,” Sora teased, but Jonghyun could tell that she being honest as well. “No, I just feel like a loser next to you right now.”

“Why?”

“I'm underdressed while you seem to be going to some high class party.”

It was then that Jonghyun really took Sora's appearance. She was right that she looked quite casual, attired in a floral maxi dress. It was something she'd normally wear. What she was wearing did not suit the place that Jonghyun had in mind, but that was because he hadn't mentioned where they'd be going. It was partly his fault.

“Why don't I pick then?”

Sora stared at him, incredulously. “You choose? Why can't you tell me where we're going so I can decide my outfit?”

“It's a surprise though.”

Sora lightly laughed, leading him to her wardrobe and allowing Jonghyun to take a glimpse of what she owned.

The wardrobe consisted of mainly long flowing dresses. Pure, modest and simple. There was hardly anything too risqué or expensively exquisite. The only thing Jonghyun could pick out was a flimsy white skirt and a silky scarlet-red halter top. Jonghyun had seen her wear it before. He remembered because he had seen her wear it at their formal when they were sixteen. Sora had dubbed him as her date because she had nobody else to go with and because she had been too shy to accept any other boys' proposals.

Jonghyun had mocked her a lot for it, but when she presented herself in front of him, he had been rendered speechless. It had been the moment that Jonghyun had realised that his best friend, actually, was a girl - a girl that he had developed a crush on.
 

Handing over his choice, he repeated, “For old time's sake.”

“All right then.” Sora smiled, taking it from him and disappearing into the bathroom.

For once, everything was playing out how Jonghyun wanted. At the beach he had convinced her to go on another date with him. Although they had been together since they were children, this marked something different. It was their first official date. It was their first time to officially test the waters between them and to see if fate would rip them apart or let them be together. Besides, Jonghyun didn’t want to count the time that they went to the maid cafe as a date. He wanted to take her out properly.

Since he was on hiatus and Sora was on her university break, they might as well try and work something out. That was what they both agreed on. Jonghyun made Sora promise to spend time with him until she went back to university and, when the time came, he'd let her decide whether she wanted to be with him or not. If she didn’t want to be with him, Heaven’s forbid it, Jonghyun promised that he would let her go for good.

One and a half weeks. It was like a ticking time bomb. Jonghyun knew that Sora was comfortable with him, and he was with her. He hadn't felt so alive for a while and being with her every consecutive day was unbelievable. They were stuck in the moment, and Jonghyun was well aware that it could end any time soon.

Therefore, he was going to ‘woo’ her with all his might.

Getting bored, Jonghyun surveyed Sora's room. It was still plain, nothing bold enough to grab his interest. There were new additions to her bookshelves and her blanket covers were different. Nothing else had significantly changed.

What did surprise him was the fact that on the bottom of the bookshelf, he spotted a stack of CNBLUE CDs. They weren't just from Korea, but Sora even had Japan editions. In fact, it appeared as if Sora had bought every single and album that the band had released.

Jonghyun smirked at his discovery, knowing that Sora had kept following his movements with CNBLUE confirmed that she cared.  She had been keeping an eye on him from afar, while he had presumed that she had forgotten about him.

He quickly stepped away from the bookshelf when Sora reappeared in front of him.

Deja vu?

It was like seeing Sora at sixteen again, only her curves were more accented now. Back when Jonghyun was younger, he had been at a loss of words and barely managed to string a sentence together. He hadn’t complimented her, only told her that they’d be late for the formal and pretended to hide his awe by scolding her for taking too long to get ready.

Now it was different. He actually said something this time.

“You look beautiful.”

The three words had possibly been the most used words in every romance film, but Jonghyun couldn’t help but say them...because it was true. Sora did look beautiful.

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying, Sora.”

The seriousness in his tone seemed to make her blush harder. Jonghyun tried not to laugh. She looked adorable and he found it amusing that she didn't know how to react to his compliment. It was like he had dished her out an insult.

“Let’s go now,” Sora finally spoke out as she took hold of her purse that she had left on her bedside table.

Even if she dismissed his compliment, to Jonghyun, Sora was beautiful.

She was stunning.

•••••••••••••••

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” she immediately denied.

Unfortunately, Jonghyun knew better. They had been at the Italian restaurant for the past half hour. They had already ordered and were currently waiting for their meals, but there was a thick heavy silence between them. At least there was instrumental jazz that diminished their awkward silence.

Sora hadn't said anything, almost like she refused to.

Jonghyun could see that she was lost in thought because she was playing with her fingers, something she tended to do when she felt apprehensive and nervous. She had been staring everywhere but at him. The thing was, Sora actually did think a lot. She was the type of person who kept everything in until somebody would force her into a corner to get her talking. Sometimes she'd be thinking about good things, other times bad...but Jonghyun was sure that she didn't have a nice thing to say from the small frown that tugged on her lips. She was trying to hide her disapproval.

“We're at the most expensive Italian restaurant in Busan,” she finally stated before he could prod her.

“So?” Jonghyun smirked, tilting his head and watching her. Across the table he could see her cautious facial expression in the flickering candlelight. Although she was phase, to Jonghyun, she still looked gorgeous. Watching every single reaction from her made him smile.

“Don't you understand me, Jonghyun? Everything listed in that menu is enough money for a week or two of groceries,” Sora muttered. “Did you take me here to impress me?”

Of course, Jonghyun thought.

Perhaps he was overdoing it. After all, Sora was simple minded. Fancy places and pricey possessions did not capture her attention. However, Jonghyun just wanted to spoil her for the night. Jonghyun wanted to give her the best. Besides, it wasn't often Sora went out, dining in such a luxurious restaurant.

Jonghyun tested her. “Don't you like this place?”

“It's great and all...” Her voice trailed off.

“But?”

“You know this isn't me.”

Jonghyun laughed. “I know.”

Even if they stayed at each other's house and watched a movie or drama, they would have enjoyed themselves and had a fun time. Considering they were at the restaurant, it seemed to make her uncomfortable. It hadn't been Jonghyun's intentions to make her feel this way, but he couldn't help but feel amused at Sora...being Sora.

Their meals arrived. Jonghyun was first to finish his pasta. He took a sip from his red wine, gazing at Sora twirl her spaghetti and meatballs with the fork.

Feeling mischievous, he spoke up, “You're quite the CNBLUE fan, right?”

“What?” She asked, putting a forkful of pasta in .

“I saw your collection in your bedroom. Your secret stash.”

She almost spat out what she was chewing, eyes bulged at Jonghyun's discovery. Jonghyun smirked when he watched the familiar shade of scarlet brush over Sora's cheeks.

“Leeseol gave them to me.” She swallowed.

Jonghyun clicked his tongue. “Lies.”

“Yonghwa's a good singer? The music is catchy?” She continued.

“Come on, Sora. Admit it. You bought them because of me.”

She scowled. “If you know the reason, be quiet and don't rub it in.”

“It’s me...isn’t it?” He winked at her.

Sora finally giggled at him.

“Next time I'll have to buy your album.”

“My album?” Sora queried.

“I'm waiting for your debut,” Jonghyun said. “You know that your voice is better than Yonghwa's and mine combined.”

“Lies,” Sora stole his line.

“I'm being honest. Quit your course now and get into the music industry.”

“Why are you advising me this? I'm happy where I am right now. Even though I love singing, how will I be able to support myself?”

“I'll support you. I have enough money.”

Sora didn't answer his reply right away. Jonghyun realised what he had suddenly said. He hadn't meant to be so direct. It was like he was asking her to get married and forcing all his ideals and thoughts upon her. Sora was her own person and it wasn’t right that he was trying to get her to do something she didn’t want. He flinched. It was too late to take back his words because he had already spoken them. However, he was happy to support her. He hadn’t been lying about that.

“Aren't you getting a bit too conceited, Jonghyun?” She replied, dangerously.

He confronted, “I don't think I am. I wouldn't mind marrying you.”

She frowned at him. “How can you say it so easily? This isn't-”

“It’s true,” he interrupted her before she could say anything else. He stood up, moving his chair next to hers and sitting besides her. He held her hand and looked Sora straight in the eye.

Sora returned his intense gaze.

“You need to stop putting yourself down like this. I said you were beautiful earlier and I did genuinely mean it,” Jonghyun said. “And do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because I knew I loved you ever since we were sixteen. Hell, I probably liked you even earlier,” Jonghyun confessed. “What you're wearing now...that was the night I realised I fell in love with you. And, you know what? You didn't notice that I wasn't kidding when I was about to kiss you that night.”

Jonghyun remembered. It was as clear as day. When he dropped Sora home after her school formal, he had leaned in for a kiss, but she had jokingly slapped him away. She hadn't taken him seriously. She had been oblivious.

“The first time we kissed was when Shinsoo cheated on you, right?” Jonghyun reminded. “I did that selfishly for me. I wasn't joking around then either. Maybe it was wrong that I took advantage of you, but that was the time and moment I could get you to believe that I really liked you.”

“Really?” He noticed that her eyes were teary.

“Yeah,” Jonghyun stated. “And I'm afraid I won't be able to stop making more moves on you from now on...”

Sora opened her lips to reply, but instead she was caught off guard when she felt Jonghyun's lips crashed onto hers. Jonghyun savoured the kiss, holding the back of her head and gently pushing Sora's face closer to his. The movement made her gasp, causing Jonghyun to smirk at the easier access.

And then it happened;  she kissed him back.

•••••••••••••••

Last Edited: 27.o2.16

2o.o6.12

(a/n) I won't be updating this story til about 3-4 weeks or even later because I'll be overseas ^^. More Sora x Jonghyun next chapter ft. Jungshin. A few more chapters after that, and this story should be done. I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. Again, thanks for staying tuned & reading ;) I'd better go to sleep now. It's 1am and I have to get up in five hours. Oops  -_-" Good night!

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