Chapter 1

You opened the door to Saemin’s apartment slowly, wincing as it creaked and squealed on its hinges. Well, there goes any potential ninjaness on your part.

“Chaebie! How was it? Did you guys talk? Oooh, did he ask you out?” Saemin immediately began asking you after popping up from god knows where. Well she’d never been the subtle type to begin with…

“Wha- Why did you plan all this anyway? Besides we’ve only just met. I don’t see why I’d be anything but another fangirl to him, even if you are their assistant songwriter now,” A pang suddenly hit you, but you forced yourself to remember all the reassuring things Yoseob had told you and fought back a grimace.

“Silly, you’re so in love with him I just had to arrange for you two to meet! I’m your best friend! Besides, you can’t be just another fan to him because he doesn’t usually even get to know those ‘just another fans’. So did he ask you out? He sure seemed eager to meet you when I told him about you,” she teased.

“Yah! I am not in love with him, he…just.. happens to be my bias? Regardless, he’s an idol. One date doesn’t exactly mean the same thing as it does for people..who aren’t famous,” you protested, feeling your cheeks grow red. Your eyes widened when you realized what information you’d accidentally let slip and you groaned mentally, preparing yourself for the tidal wave of questions Saemin was sure to ask now.

“Uwaa, so he did ask you out! Ha, Junhyung owes me 5000 won. How did he ask you? Was it romantic or just out of the blue? Were you all nervous and shy or did you play hard to get, but eventually accept anyway? Did he make it seem like a date, date or just like a hanging out kind of thing? Have you fallen for him alrea- wait no, I know the answer to that. What did you guys talk about? Come on Dongsaeng, I need details!”

The only coherent thought you could form for a good few moments was ‘How the hell did she get all that out in one breath?’

“Well you see Unnie… I need to go see my parents, so I’ll talk to you later arrasseo?” you began, already halfway out the door by the time you’d finished your sentence. All you heard was a ‘Yah! Chae Yung!’ before you escaped into the hall and sprinted down the steps and to the nearest bus stop, fidgeting nervously the entire time you waited for the bus to arrive. It wasn’t your fault, when Saemin wanted details like this she was just downright frightening. Finally after what felt like hours the bus arrived and you relaxed in your seat, mentally preparing yourself for your visit to a neighborhood you hadn’t seen in five years. Your phone suddenly vibrated, and you jumped in your seat – the other passengers probably all thought you were neurotic by now. ‘Please don’t be Saemin,’ you pleaded silently. Glancing down at the screen, you were greeted by an unfamiliar number.

Unknown caller.

You stared at the screen as if it had just grown an arm for a good few seconds before finally pressing the green ‘answer’ button and holding it to your ear. “Yeobesseoyo?” you greeted.

“Ne, Chae Yung! This is Yoseob here. Manager Hyung just gave us a short break from practice so I decided to call you,” came the familiar voice. You felt a smile make its way to your lips as you responded.

“Ah, arrasseo Y- Seobssi. I’ll be sure to add you to my contacts then. Try not to overwork yourself at work,”

“Ne, I won’t, and don’t be so formal when we’re amongst friends okay? Just call me Yoseo- Ah, hold on a second Chae Yung. …Arrasseo Hyung, I’ll be there in a moment!” he called out to someone in the background.

“Time to go?” you asked, glancing out the window only to realize you weren’t very far anymore. Time sure flies when you’re having fun.

“Yeah, mianhaeyo, we need to get back to practicing our dance. I’ll text you when I have time though. Bye!” he replied, barely giving you enough time to say goodbye yourself before hanging up. Idols sure were busy. ‘But he said he’d text me..’ The smile on your face widened and you found yourself grinning like the lunatic all the other passengers were sure to think you were. Never in your wildest dreams had you imagined you’d be talking to Yoseob as if he were an actual friend. Let alone go on a date with him. You had to hand it to Saemin, the girl knew what she was doing. Even if she was just a little eccentric about it sometimes. Glancing down at your phone again, you added Yoseob’s number and paused to think of what you should put as his name. The last thing you needed was some crazed fangirl finding it and calling him or sharing his number. Then, the perfect nickname struck you and you quickly keyed it in.

‘Seobcookie’

The next thing you knew, the bus was coming to a halt again in front of a familiar neighborhood. Your stop. You hopped off and began the short walk to where your parents lived. Once there, it took a bit of courage to ring the doorbell and every moment spent standing there awkwardly with your oversized suitcase felt like torture. Then, the door swung open and you were engulfed in a familiar perfume. Some things never change.

“Oh Chae Yung I’ve missed you so much,” your mother whispered before pulling away to examine you. “And you’ve grown into such a fine woman! Come in! I baked you some cookies,” she ushered you inside, fussing over you in a way only mothers can.

“Butterscotch, I hope,” you joked, smiling at her. You’d missed your parents to no end, but the boarding school which you’d been attending only allowed two calls per week and your family didn’t have the money to fly you over during vacations.

“Of course! How could I forget your favorite?” she exclaimed.

“Well look who we have here!” a voice called out from behind you, and you spun around to be greeted by a hug from your father. He squeezed you tightly before making a similar observation to your mother and patting you on the head. “I’m proud of you Chae Yung, for pursuing your dream even if it was difficult,” he added softly.

“Unnie!” came the yell from upstairs. Little feet pattered their way down the stairs and your twelve year old brother Sayung rushed into your arms. “I missed you!” Your mother came out with the cookies – which you demolished – and some drinks, and you all sat down in the living room and talked about America before agreeing on a movie to watch together. You didn’t even make it past the opening credits before passing out from jetlag. Sayung was ushered upstairs by your father with promises that you’d watch the movie another time, and your mother helped you into a more comfortable position on the couch, making sure you wouldn’t hurt your neck, before draping a blanket over you and heading upstairs.

It was good to be home again.

Later that night at around one in the morning your vibrating phone woke you and you sat up, taking in your surroundings and registering where you were before glancing at the screen.

From: Seobcookie

I’ll come pick you up on Sunday, arrasseo? Hyung said we have the day off.

You reread the text a few times before the information actually sunk in and you typed a quick response, cursing when you realized it was already Friday. Oh well, your mother wouldn’t mind going shopping with you for clothes. It would give you a chance to bond again.

___Yoseob’s POV___

I yawned softly as I lay in bed, waiting for a response from Chae Yung, hoping she hadn’t been sleeping. My phone flashed and I checked to see if she’d replied. The silly nickname I’d given her never failed to make me grin.

From: Butterscotch Addict

Works for me.~

Short and sweet. Just like her. ..Then again I wasn’t exactly one to comment about height.

“Yah! Yang Yoseob, go to sleep!” Doojoon called from his bed.

“Mianhae Hyung,” I apologized, quickly sending her a goodnight text and turning off my phone, rolling over to go to sleep.

___Your POV___

From: Seobcookie

Great! Hyung’s telling me to go to sleep now, so good night Chae Yung. :D

You smiled and shook your head softly at the dorky boy. With a yawn, you picked up the blanket and pillow and headed upstairs to your old room, expecting it to look empty. Instead, it was exactly as you’d left it five years ago. Even your desk was still messy. The only difference was that the shelves weren’t stacked with bowls and the floor was actually…visible. ‘I was one messy teenager,’ you thought, plopping down on the bed and snuggling under the covers, which smelled as if they’d been freshly washed.

A few seconds later you were asleep again.

---

GEH. I'm sorry for taking so long to post this. I kept rewriting it because I just wasn't happy with it, and yesterday I finally sat down and stayed up until it was finished. ;________; Sorry for the wait.
And I should really be working on my Gikwang fic and not this. >_>