"Yoseob, do you... have feelings for me?"

 

That kind of question, how did he suppose to answer?

He knew for sure there were only two options for that; Yes or No. Such an easy way to answer. In exams, you just had to cross / underline / circle one of the two. But this was no exams. This was waaay more heart-thumping, blood-rushing, cold-sweating than facing paper tests. Yet still, the basic was Yang Yoseob had to answer from the two options. 

He could out of sudden say "Umm what a nice weather!" or "Look, a man bungee jumping from the top of Namsan Tower!", but then he was sure Jung Eunji would either laugh along... Or think he was mad.

No way in a thousand years he would allow himself to look any more foolish in front of her.

 

"Y- yes." he said in a rather unconvincing tone.

 

"You do?"

 

He took a deep breath. "Yes, I- I do... For the p-past three years..."

 

"Yoseob-ssi..."

 

This is it. She's gonna use the sad tone and tell me that she likes another person and she wants us to still be friends because after all that's what I am to her-

 

"Have you written the lyrics for our song?"

 

Yoseob blinked. "You haven't, do you?"

 

Yoseob shook his head, still had no idea what it was all about. He wondered if this was one of those ways for girls to answer love confessions. He knew for sure girls could be very weird in their own way.

 

"Goodie!" she grinned, taking out a notebook. Yoseob was more confused than ever. "Let's divide our singing parts now!"

 

"Eu- Eunji, w-what I s-said before-"

 

"You want my answer, Yoseob-ssi?"

 

That got him. Yoseob wondered, did he really want to hear whether she felt the same or not? Was he ready to be beside her or to get rejected? He didn't have time to think about it, thanks to his out-of-the-blue love confession / blurts.

 

"I will give you my answer... At the Winter Showcase," she said with a wink.

 

Well that gave him a major dip.

 

"Through lyrics... You write your part and I'm gonna write mine, that way, you'll get my answer, plus... Our song lyrics will sound more sincere. How about that...?"

 

Yoseob looked down, trying to process her ideas on his head.

Winter Showcase, he totally forgot about that. Damn, I have to sing it in front of...public.

 

"Eunji, I- I can't sing in public."

 

"Eh?"

 

Yoseob let out a sigh and threw his gaze at the Seoul city below. "I have a- a stage fright, a very terrible one."

 

"Mind telling me?"

 

"It- It's not much act- actually, I was just a kid being foolish, b- but it kinda stuck until... Now."

 

"Everyone is scared of something, it's okay, really."

 

"Y- you think so?"

 

She nodded while her lips curved into a smile. It was gentle and rather sweet which caused warmth filling his chest. He suddenly felt much more comfortable somehow. And words flowed from his mouth.

 

"Ummm w- well... It was when I was ten..."

 

He sipped his already cold coffee, mind flew back to a painful childhood memory.

 

 

Ten-year-old Yang Yoseob played with his fingers anxiously. Contestant number eleven had finished her performance. She was good. A worthy opponent, Yoseob thought. And now contestant number twelve was performing his song, 'Mother'. It was the same title as the song Yoseob would sing.

He looked at the number on his chest. Thirteen. Lucky him, huh?

 

"Great performance by number twelve! Now, please welcome number thirteen, Yang Yoseob, ten years old from Seoul!"

 

Yoseob gasped. Did the MC just call his name? "

 

Ppali!" said the backstage coordinator, pushing him on to the stage.

 

"Ah, there he is! He's such a cute boy, isn't he?"

 

The spotlight immediately shone at him. He put up his left hand to cover his eyes while his left hand couldn't even hold the mic properly. He trembled so bad.

 

"Well, what song are you going to sing, little Yoseob?"

 

Yoseob turned to the MC. He looked like those fatty kidnappers in 'Home Alone' movies. Suddenly he was scared. He needed his appa and eomma. Frantically, he tried tosearch for them among the audience seats, but they were no where to be found.

Weird thoughts started to fill his mind. Did his parents leave him dirextly after they dropped him at the backstage? Could it be the restaurant was so crowded that they had to go home? They shouldn't, right?

He wanted to see them! He wanted a smile from eomma! He wanted a "You're gonna be great" from appa! But where were they?! The spotlight was too bright, he could barely opened his eyes.

 

The MC chuckled. "Kekeke, our Yoseob is nervous, huh? It's okay. Just tell us what is the title of the song you're going to sing."

 

Cold sweats started to run at both sides of his head. Eomma! Appa! Where are you?

 

"Aigoo, Yoseob-gun, don't be shy! Say something to the mic, perhpas you can start with ABC?"

 

The crowd soon erupted in laughter. Yoseob closed his ears with both hands. It felt so annoying, he didn't know why! The audience kept laughing as the fat MC told more teases and jokes.

 

Please stop! Stop! Please!

 

The next thing Yoseob knew, he dropped the mic and ran, not to the backstage, but immediately towards the exit door.

 

 

"So... That's m-my story," finished Yoseob.

 

"I think it's very brave of you," she said.

 

Yoseob blinked. "Re- really?"

 

She turned to him with a smile. "Yes. You're brave for admitting that you're scared. That's a rather different way of bravery. Many people are sometimes too scared of themselves."

 

"Like me..." she whispered.

 

Yoseob missed her last two words. He opened his mouth, almost blurted "What did you say?", but he decided to keep his silence.

This atmosphere between him and Eunji, he wanted to break them somehow. It was weirdly confusing.

He was sitting next to her, but couldn't ease away that sad glimpse in her eyes. He composed a love song with her, but didn't even confess properly. He was close to her, but she felt so far to reach.

 

She suddenly rose up from her seat and chuckled. "What am I talking about?" she said, "Come on, Yoseob, let's go home. It's getting really cold up here."

 

Yoseob watched as she threw her papercup into the nearest trashbin and started walking away. His gaze never left her. He enjoyed her back view, to be thruthful. Her dark brown wavy hair that fell neatly to its place... The red coat she wore... It took seconds for him to realize he was left alone.

He immediately stood up, threw the paper cup, and ran to catch up with her.

 

 

---

 

 

Every evening Yang Yoseob could be found at his house's kitchen.

Making kimchi, cutting meat, washing vegetables, he did them all. At times, he was sure he'd make a good husband. Helping out his mother had been his habit since he was the only child and his parents opened a restaurant too, so he usually cooked lunch for himself.

He was stirring the soup when he felt the warmth from the vapor on his face. Smile crept to his lips. Flashes of Jung Eunji's face filled his mind. He thought about the times he spent with her though they weren't much, he simply enjoyed her presence and adored her smiles. Even that cold afternoon at Namsan was now a warm memory he cherished.

 

"Why are you all smiley and...," said a voice from the dining table, "Did you use my hair gel again?" His father had just arrived home.

 

Yoseob immediately touched his hair, mentally hit himself for forgetting to wash off the spiky style he usually wore to school. Yeah, he used his dad's hair gel since his father forbid him to wear hair gel. It made hair became white faster apparently.

 

"Let him be, yeobo. He had a date today," Yoseob's mom replied to her husband with a smile. She then got back to her kimchi again.

 

Yoseob dropped the spatula he had been using to stir the soup. His eyes widened. "Wha- No. It was not a date. I just went out on a friendly walk with a girl friend" He notice a wide smile on her mother's face. "I mean girl - friend. She's a girl- and a friend of mine. We're just friends..."

 

"Is it also the reason why the principal called to the restaurant today, Yoseob?" His father looked at him with a scary glare. His tone was firm. He wasn't happy.

 

Yoseob rubbed his head. "Y- yeah, maybe?"

 

He gulped in nervous as his father took off his reading glasses and said, "Son, I don't mind at all with you dating and all-"

 

"I'm not dating anybody."

 

"Oh, we lied about those things too when we were young, weren't we, yeobo?" said his mom.

 

"Yes, we did," replied his dad with a wink. Yoseob rolled his eyes.

 

"But we realized that during our youth, studying was still our main priority. We had dates on the weekends or during holiday. Sometimes we went out after school, but we never skipped classes."

 

"Arasso. I'm sorry..."

 

Yoseob hung his head low. He was too happy that the consequences of such action didn't cross his mind. Although, deep inside, he was content of himself for breaking out of his own boundary. My own youth rebellion?

 

"By the way, abeoji, anything interesting from the restaurant today?" he asked. It was kind of a routine for him to ask his dad what the people were talking at the restaurant. They usually brought up interesting topics or current events.

 

"Well, there was a lot of talks at the restaurant today," said his father from behind the evening newspaper, "The office workers were chatting away about some fake company and stock sellings. I think some guy managed to make lots of important people lose their money, big time."

 

 

---

 

 

Time passed since Yoseob and Eunji went on their mini Namsan trip.

Jung Eunji attended school normally, but it stopped just a few days before the Winter Showcase. That got Yoseob in cold sweat.

 

Both of them had never practiced the song before. They did spend more time together working on the song. He had finished with his lyrics part, but still he hadn't listen to the final outcome. Eunji kept her lyrics part and asked Yoseob to hand her what he had recorded. She said she had learnt how to mix audio, so as soon as she had done recording her part, she would give their song to the teacher personally.

 

 

"Here it is," said Yoseob, handing her a CD.

 

"You're sure your voice is in it, right?"

 

"Eh-"

 

"Just kidding!"

 

He sighed. This girl was surely amusing.

 

"I'm glad you agree to sing again, Yoseob. I bet you have such a beautiful voice."

 

Yoseob swore he blushed, but she didn't seem to notice as she continued, "Then I'll record mine soon and mix them-"

 

"I w- won't be able to see th- the final?"

 

She shook her head. "Well if that so, you wouldn't be so curious at my answer, no?"

 

 

Yoseob thought about her answer from that afternoon at Namsan. Her answer... Her answer would be in the song. When they performed it together this weekend at the showcase, he'd finally get to know.

It was funny how fate worked, Yoseob finally understood.

Three years, longing for her, staring at her from far, his dream girl, but it took only weeks, weeks of doing a project from vocal class which he had attended for the last three years because of her, to finally be able to talk to her, listen to her, and more more more drunk by her charm.

 

Jung Eunji... When will he be able to see her again?

Everyday now, it was her face that he looked for or her smile that he waited for. Yoseob couldn't get her out of himself. She occupied not only his heart, but also his mind. It was as if she was everywhere. He spent history class daydreaming about her, he even magically wrote a love story at the literature class.

 

But she was nowhere to be found. It had been five days. The day of Winter Showcase was getting closer. He worried about her, but to where more he had to look?

He purposely passed her apartment building after school trying his luck to perhaps catch a glimpse of her, but none so far. He thought about asking her close friends, but he turned back every time he saw them in the hallway. He also considered Son Dongwoon. The guy liked Eunji too, but when his answer was only "She probably catches a flu or something, why do you care so much about her anyway?" His cocky tone should have earned him a punch actually, but Yoseob managed to cool down himself.

 

And Yong Junhyung hadn't been a big help either. He kept teasing him that maybe their mini 'date' at Namsan Tower left her such a bad impression on him that she didn't want to see him anymore. He introduced Yoseob to some of his girlfriend's friends, Han Seungyeon, Nicole... He forgot the rest of the names. He wasn't interested, especially not when Jung Eunji who had been occupying his mind for the last three years disappeared.

 

He was walking mindlessly to his next class, literature. He guessed he would get a praise from the teacher again since today's topic was "Empty". He almost reached his destination when something caught his eyes.

 

"Oh my god, it's Jung Eunji."

 

The mention of her name immediately put him on alert. He noticed a crowd of people swarming around the school bulletin board.

 

A what-seem-like a fotocopy print of a newspaper article was posted at the center of the board.

 

Someone must have put it on when others were in class.

 

He walked closer to the board, placing himself among the shocked crowd. He couldn't help but to gasp too. Squinting his eyes, he tried to make sure he was reading the right words.

 

He just couldn't believe it. 

 

 

"Tch, who would know all her properties are from dirty money."

 

"Yeah, we should've known she can't be that perfect."

 

 

 

---

*Knock knock* It's me again! The turtle who writes XD

So, thank you for reading another continuation of this little imagination of mine about Yoseob and Eunji. We have reached chapter 6! OHMYYOSEOB I should put on a party hat or something 'cause this story is almost finish! Kekeke

Never forget, hello to Shaox33, seojjang, paopeo9, KellyBelly, Cornkix! Thank you for clicking the subscribe button!

@YS4everkhale: Here's your continuation!

@TraannLee:Yes, I did see MBC Music Core live on June 23rd, I queued up with fellow Pink Pandas (A-Pink fans) oh my love for K-pop is just increasing more and more. And here's your update!

@0501aholic: I'm sorry for your happy ending request, I can't fulfill that. I suddenly got this idea and... Well you read it ^^ Btw, who was born on 0501?

 

Now, will I able to finish this story before August ends? I just realize my time is ticking.