(Anyone want to make a caption for this? XD)

Jongdae

What is that?

It’s big.

It’s fluffy.

Is it a mushroom?

No, pabo. How could it be a mushroom?

Mushrooms don’t exist. They’re extinct.

Because I ate them all. So squishy~

I simply peered through my sleepy, half open eyes at the blob next to me. It was all I could see in the darkness. I was clinging onto it for dear life, and it was muttering to itself about something incomprehensible.

“Jongdae, wake up. Yah, wake up! Give me your keys,” it seemed to be saying. Are we underwater? “Yah, Jongdae, give me your freaking keys.”

“Ne?” The words stumbled out of my mouth. “Ma keys?” Where were they again? I tried to locate my pockets by patting my sides, but they seemed to be missing.

Where did I put my pockets? I rubbed my head and my limbs to see if my pockets were there. “Hey, did you steal my pockets?” I asked the blob. It did not respond, but instead released air like a leaking soccer ball. Convinced it had my pockets, I grabbed it and began feeling it for my keys.

 A sharp sting cut across my face the moment I touched something that felt like my denim back pocket. Holding my face, I pouted and slunk to the ground, shaking away the odd painful feeling.

 “Oh my gosh,” I heard it say. “Don’t ever. Touch me. Like that. Again.” She snatched something from my side and after a jingle of metal, there was the familiar creak of Zi Tao’s door.

 Oh. It’s Eun Ae...Eunnie... I tried to push myself off of the floor, but just crashed back on to the cold floor again. Flailing around, I worked my way to the door and pulled myself up with much effort. “Eunnie...” I slurred, shaking my head to get rid of that buzzing sound. “Tao is sleeping over at dui zhang’s...you know what that means, huh? Since you know Chinese and shtuff?”

 “Okay, good. That way your members don’t have to clean up after you,” She spoke in a stern, yet warm tone as she took my hand and led me to a brightly lit room. Her hand was so soft, so little. It was like Yi Xing’s, but it felt smoother and slightly damper. “Can you change? Or are you too drunk to?” She asked me in a strange way.

 “I’m not drunk!” I protested loudly, but my tongue was flopping around too much. “Look, I can still sing! And dance!” I burst into the chorus of History using extremely sloppy Chinese and began flapping my hands in the air because I still did not find my pockets.

 “Shh, shh!” Eun Ae loudly shushed me and sighed. “You clearly are not in good shape. Let me help you. Just--stand still.” Since I am a good boy, I stood as still as a statue.

 Gently, cool fingers helped me slip off my thin jacket. “Here, take off that grimy shirt and put this on,” She handed me a white shirt and a pair of soft cotton sweatpants. “And if you can, put these pants on, too. I’m going to get my stuff from the my dorm. I don’t think that you’ll be okay tonight nor in the morning.” She patted my shoulder roughly and slipped out the door in the blink of an eye.

 Psh, I can do anything. I confidently ripped off my stiff jeans, tossed on the clean pair in a jumbled manner, slipped out of my shirt and tried to stick my head and arms through, but for some reason I could not find the holes in the shirt. No matter how much I struggled against the stuffy cotton cloth, I could not get my head nor my arms through the holes. Did she give me a shirt without holes?! I began to panic at the thought of suffocating in my shirt.

 Suddenly, I heard the door open and slam shut. “Jongdae, now you--” Eun Ae’s voice stopped short. “...what are you doing?”

 “Help!” I croaked within my shirt. “It’s strangling me!”

 “I swear...what am I going to do with you...” She stomped over to me and with one hard yank, fit my head and arms through the shirt holes. “Aigoo, what a child.”

 “Hey, I’m mature enough!” I patted my tummy full of alcohol. “I’m just drunk!”

 She just shook her head and pointed to the bed in the corner. “Go sleep. I’m not even going to try and help you brush your teeth.”

 What? “Sleep there?” I peered at the bed. It was lonely, cold, and dark in the corner. I was going to have a nightmare if I slept there. “No...I don’t want to."

 “Then, where will you sleep?”

 “I’ll sleep with you!” I grinned at her. Eun Ae’s bed looked bright, warm, and happy. Anywhere with Eunnie is a good place.

 “Umm...no.”

 “Wae?!” I pouted and stomped my feet for an extra aegyo effect. It always works on girls. “I don’t like being alone!”

 “Ne?” She spluttered. “Are you trying to be cute...?”

 “Noona...”

 “I am not sleeping in the same bed as a drunk person.”

 “If I can’t sleep with you then I’m never going to sleep! Ever! Never ever ever ever--”

 “FINE, oh my goodness, Jongdae,” she rolled her eyes and gestured towards her bed. “Just no touching me. Sleep on the very edge. No talking. No movement. Just sleep.”

 “Ne!” I squealed happily. No nightmares for me! I reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her over towards me. She squeaked with surprise, but I just squeezed her tightly by the waist and we both fell onto her bed.

 “Yah, Kim Jongdae!” She shouted into my ear, trying to push me off with her tiny hands. She smells good. Like flowers. “You’re breaking all the rules I set!”

 “Ne!” I replied, growing kind of sleepy. Happy flowers...in my dreams...

 “I didn’t even wash up yet!”

 “So? I didn’t either!”

 She just remained silent as I breathed in her scent. Flowers...with a tint of citrus. Fresh.

 “Jongdae?”

 “Mmm?”

 “Don’t ever drink again, okay?” She sounded so sad, so quiet, so weak. Even among the confusion and unclearness, my heart dropped ten thousand miles.

 “Okay, just for you.” I said automatically, hugging her tighter. Like in the morning, when the air is still crisp.

 We remained quiet after that. Last thing I remembered was the warm feeling of Eun Ae in my arms before I fell asleep.

 “Jongdae?”

 I glanced up from the sandwich I was munching on. The one Eun Ae made.

 “Are you okay? You seemed a bit distracted during practice,” Jinsoo hyung turned his cap backwards and scooched next to me on the floor. “You hit the high notes all right, but there was no usual ‘unf.’ What’s up?”

 “Nothing.” I replied simply and took a sip of the broth from Eun Ae’s Hello Kitty thermos.

 Jinsoo just stared at me and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not an idiot.”

 “Oh, really now?”

 “Don’t you get sassy with me!” He teased and snatched the thermos from my hand. “Now...since when did you like Hello Kitty?”

 “Yah!” I shouted and wrestled it from him as he snickered quietly. I protectively its head and mumbled, “I’ve always liked it.”

 “Naw, don’t be like that. How are you and that girl? Eun...Hye? Eun...”

 “Eun Ae. Park Eun Ae.”

 “Yeah, her. She seems to watch after you a lot,” Jinsoo nudged me and stood up, brushing off his dusty pants. “Well, anyhow, be focused tomorrow!”

 After he left, I thought back to yesterday. However, just thinking about what happened makes my head throb really badly. Maybe it was the immense amount of alcohol...

 “Jongdae-ah,” A sweet voice was calling me from across the practice room. I gulped down the remaining broth and peeked out from behind the thermos. It was Joonmyun. “What do you have here?” He swiftly walked next to me and plopped down.

 “My lunch.” I replied bluntly and continued to shove food down my throat.

 “It looks like the work of a woman.”

 I choked on a tomato slice.

 Joonmyun laughed. “I’m just kidding, I would never encourage you to date when we’re nearing our debut date!”

 I simply nodded and chewed quietly.

 “Lately, Baekhyun’s been kind of up in the clouds. Do you know what that’s all about?” he asked me, his handsome face scrunching up in confusion. “He keeps puckering his lips whenever he thinks no one’s around and spaces out a lot more now,” The leader leaned closer to me until he was touching my ear with his lips. “Do you think he has a girl--”

 “Hyung!” Baekhyun’s voice startled me and I shot up, accidentally smacking Joonmyun in the face.

 “AUGHHHHHH!” He let out a scream, but as usual, did not reprimand me in any way. He was too nice and gentle to care. Joonmyun only blinked a few times and stared at Baekhyun, holding his nose. “Ne?”

 “Have you seen Eun Ae? I was going to take her out for a quick snack.” Baekhyun twiddled his thumbs and rocked back and forth on his heels impatiently.

 “No...I haven’t seen her since last night. Come to think of it, I didn’t see you last night either, Jongdae!” Joonmyun hyung turned to me with an alarmed look.

 “I--just--” I began to panic. What do I say?!

 “I saw you leave with Eun Ae, where did you guys go?” Baekhyun answered for me in a seemingly bored tone, but with one glance I could tell he was beyond jealous.

 What am I thinking?

 “We went out for a small drink. That’s it.” I shrugged and refused to talk anymore.

 However, Baekhyun wouldn’t let it go. “A drink? You went out for liquor with Eun Ae? Hyung, your alcohol tolerance is terrible! What if you beat her up or some--”

 “Well, I didn’t!” I growled, stepping towards him. “She’s perfectly fine and practicing with the rest of the girl trainees, so don’t even try getting on my case!”
 “Jongdae, calm down!” Joonmyun hyung warned, wiping his sweaty forehead.

 “I was just wondering, chill dude,” Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and patted my shoulder. “Eun Ae’s fine, that’s all that matters.”

 I didn’t respond. Instead, I snatched the baby blue lunchbox that Eun Ae bought for me and went outside to eat the rest of my lunch, despite the windy weather. As leaves and little wood chips swirled around in the air, I sat down against the brick wall but realized I wasn’t hungry anymore.

How dare he say I could have hurt Eun Ae, I thought as I tossed my sandwich to the birds. 

Finally...an update ;~;

Argh, I feel so apologetic. Well, at least these chapters are somewhat long, right? Haha!

AP Chinese test over! :D 

@Lila8171997 - LOL. Well, Jongdae was getting restless. And Eun Ae's parents were missing her as well.

@Yogurt - (:

@iamawesomeness - Heheh, hi!!! :D Thank you so much for subbing(: Too much? ^_^