Chapter 3

The midnight train rushed ahead as Seohyun stepped down the station steps. She swung her purse around her playfully as she remembered Kyuhyun’s fascinating smile.

“What a day…”

As she walked down the quiet residential sidewalk, closely approaching Sooyoung’s home, she pulled out the drawing once again to gaze at it.

“How did he sketch everything so fast?”

She stood under the lamp post as she studied the picture. She felt a little conceited for admiring herself but she didn’t care, the drawing was impressive. She folded the picture back into her purse and hurried along to Sooyoung’s.

“I hope I don’t wake Unnie up…”

As she approached the house, a dark BMW slowly parked ahead of her. Seohyun halted and waited for the person to exit the car.

“Who’s that?”

Suddenly, the door cracked open and the driver stepped out. Seohyun eyes widened. It was Yongwa.

“Yong?”

Yongwa went around the car and stepped in front of Seohyun.

“Hyun…I knew you would be here…”

Seohyun refused to respond and walked around him but Yongwa blocked her way.

“Hyun…it’s been 5 years…can’t we still speak?”

“I don’t want to speak to you…”

Seohyun tried to go around him but he kept blocking the way to Sooyoung’s gate.

“Come on Hyun…we’re friends still aren’t we? How have you been? Why are you here? How come you didn’t say ‘hi’?”

Seohyun stopped from moving and frowned.

“Yongwa…I just don’t want to see you anymore…”

“Hyun…let me apologize then…I’m sorry.”

Seohyun made a sarcastic snicker.

“’Sorry’? Is that all you have to say to me for all these years?”

Yongwa hesitated.

“Yongwa…that night…you changed me…you opened my eyes…I’m thankful for that…now I can tell which people to care for…and…which people to throw away…you…I don’t care for you…that leaves me with the other option doesn’t it?”

Yongwa was astonished by Seohyun’s attitude change. She was fearless.

“Hyun…”

“Stop calling me ‘Hyun’…you don’t have that privilege anymore…”

Seohyun smirked at Yongwa and stepped around him. As she passed him, he grabbed her arm. Seohyun turned back with a shocked look. Yongwa spoke up.

“Hyun…my feelings for you…they haven’t changed…”

“What feelings? The pretend ones? You’re despicable…”

Yongwa tightened his grip. Seohyun had never see Yongwa react like this.

“I realized how much I cared for you when you ran off that night…I’m sorry for hurting you…”

“So, you expect me to forgive you then leap into your arms…it’s too late…now let go of me!”

Yongwa refused to let go. Seohyun began to panic.

“Yong…please…let me go…”

“Hyun…don’t you remember our times here in Tokyo?”

“Yong…let go!”

Suddenly, Sooyoung appeared on the balcony.

“YA! LET GO OF MY MAKNAE!”

Suddenly, the lights began to blast on throughout the neighborhood.

“If you don’t let of go of my Maknae, my husband will show you his sword!”

Yongwa relinquished Seohyun’s arm and stumbled back into his car. He frowned at Seohyun from the windshield and ignited his engine. Seohyun rubbed her reddened arm.

“Yong…”

He pressed on his accelerator and sped off into the night. Sooyoung shouted in Japanese.

“Go back to bed you nosy neighbors!”

Seohyun looked up to her Unnie and giggled.

“Unnie!”

“You little girl! Get your little in here! We need to talk!”

Seohyun removed her shoes and stepped into the living room where Sooyoung sat quietly on the couch. She didn’t look happy.

“Unnie? Everything ok?”

“Seohyun…was that Yongwa?”

“Yeah…but…I can explain…”

“I told you to stay away from him remember?”

“Unnie…wait-“

“He almost assaulted you now! You’re lucky I was doing yoga on my balcony…if I wasn’t…I swear…”

“Unnie…I’m fine…”

Seohyun thought she was powerful against anyone but when it came to her Unnie’s, she was powerless. She felt like a child again being scolded. Sooyoung pressed on.

“How did he find you?”

“He was here for a commercial shoot at the Shinjuku Gyoen…the same park where Kyuhyun and I had our date…”

“Wait…date?”

Seohyun didn’t realize that she said that but continued on.

“Yeah…date…but…Yoona-Unnie was there too…”

“Oh…Yoona…”

“She’s also Yongwa’s agent so…they must have done some homework…and well…he found me…”

“A beautiful date and a past love in one day? Wow…crazy…my poor baby!”

Sooyoung leaped onto Seohyun’s lap and started rubbing her head. Seohyun laughed.

“UNNIE!”

“You know what?! I got an idea!”

Seohyun was confused but continued listening. Sooyoung hopped off her lap and stood in front of her.

“Let me bring you to the Shibuya district tomorrow! Remember our big group photo of us there?”

Seohyun thought back and remembered the huge group picture during Christmas. She smiled.

“Of course! Shopping would be great too, Unnie…”

Soooyoung rubbed Seohyun’s head and ruined her hair.

“Go to bed now…your Unnie is tired…very…tired…babysitting THREE babies!”

Sooyoung stomped up the steps. Seohyun laughed and thought.

“Three babies?”

Kyuhyun quietly sat in the booth as he sipped on his martini. The Eden Hall was quiet and there were very few customers. The bartender was wiping a glass down and nodded towards Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun smiled back. He enjoyed the private moments at the Hall. It was a time for him to gather his thoughts and ideas and work on his music writing. It brought him great pleasure to write. He reflected on what happened that day.

“I hope she liked that drawing…”

Kyuhyun started down at his empty wine glass and lightly smiled. Then he remembered something earlier that day and dug into his pocket to get his phone. He went into his texts and went over Dara small message.

“What does she want?”

He saw the number she sent it from and began to hesitate if he should really call back.

“This would go against everything I stood for…moving on from the past…I don’t know…”

He looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes. He imagined Dara and her innocent smile. He remembered how they held hands in the rain and laughed at each other. He wanted to feel that warmth again. He opened his eyes again and dialed her number. He felt weak but he couldn’t resist the loneliness.

“Let me hear her voice again…”

The phone began to ring and Kyuhyun could feel his heart sink. He didn’t know if he dreaded her from picking up or was excited. He remained alert. Suddenly, he heard a voice that seemed different from his dreams. Dara was crying.

“Kyuhyun…”

Kyuhyun swallowed his spit and replied.

“Dara…are you okay?”

She was sniffling. He could imagine her eyes reddened from all the tears.

“Dara…you wanted to speak to me…”

“Kyu…I’m so lonely…so…lonely…”

Kyuhyun’s heart began to pound.

“Lonely? Why?”

“It’s Donghae…he’s always away…for work…for business…”

“I see…”

“Kyu…there’s hasn’t been a day that I haven’t regretted hurting you…”

Kyuhyun looked down towards the table and refused to cry.

“Kyu…I never meant to hurt you…”

“You left me…”

Dara began to tear up.

“Kyu…I’m sorry…so sorry…”

“Dara…not a day passed that haven’t thought about you…”

“I’m…so…sorry…”

“Why did you leave me?”

“I’ll tell you…in time…”

Kyuhyun began to tear up.

“I never stopped loving you…”

“Kyu…I need to go now…we’ll talk again soon…”

Dara hung up leaving Kyuhyun in tears. He wiped them off but he couldn’t stop from crying. He knew calling her would bring up his old wounds. He scrolled through his list and found Seohyun’s name.

“No…I already said my goodbyes to her…”

The Following Day, Shibuya District

Shibuya was crowded as usual with the numerous day laborers, rampant teenagers, and thousands of office workers but to make things worse, it was a Saturday afternoon. The crossing was literally covered with humanity with no entrance for any vehicles. Seohyun and Sooyoung stepped out of the train station where they were instantly swarmed by the oncoming passengers. Seohyun was shoved over.

“YA!” screamed Seohyun.

The young teenage boy with giant headphones and an acne problem ignored Seohyun’s whiny scream and continued through the station. Seohyun looked to find Sooyoung laughing.

“YA! Maknae! Follow me!” yelled Sooyoung.

Seohyun ducked through the crowd and grabbed Sooyoung’s hand. Sooyoung pulled her through and they made their way to the crossing. The billboards were enormous with advertisements of perfumes, pizza, cars, and movies. Seohyun was in awe of the newest 3D billboard which featured Yongwa’s band advertising the newest cologne. Sooyoung saw the ad and looked to Seohyun. Seohyun tried to ignore Sooyoung.

“He’s pretty popular here in Japan, you know?” said Sooyoung.

“Sadly, I know that but I wish I didn’t…”

Sooyoung frowned then patted Seohyun on the back.

“Remember our posters and ad’s here?”

Seohyun smiled.

“I do, Unnie…those were amazing…Taeyeon-Unnie was so embarrassed remember?”

“Taeyeon…always self-conscious…”

The two girls sighed then giggled. Sooyoung pointed to the Gucci store. Seohyun laughed and ran past her towards the store.

“See ya later Unnie!”

“YA! You can’t beat me Maknae baby! My strides are way longer!”

The two girls chased through the crowd towards the Gucci store. Sooyoung laughed as she dodged person after person on the crowded sidewalk. Seohyun tried to catch up to Sooyoung and smiled as she saw her Unnie scurry away. As she chased after her, she remembered the early trainee days with the girl group and how they used to run along the sidewalk chasing each other. The laughter, the innocence, the bond, it was something Seohyun truly missed. Seohyun slowed down and stopped to feel the atmosphere. Sooyoung turned around.

“Seohyun?”

Seohyun looked out to the street and saw the waves of unfamiliar faces. She began to remember the thousands of faces she saw during the old concerts and how they used to cheer for her and the rest of the group. She longed for those days. She wanted to feel loved again because her current state was unbearable. Before Seohyun could continue through her flashback, Sooyoung tapped her shoulder.

“YA! Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Unnie, let’s go…”

Sooyoung looked worried and took Seohyun by her arm and escorted her.

“Let your Unnie care for you alright?”

Seohyun smiled.

“Thank you…”

They marched into the glitzy stores and tried all the fancy clothes and purses on. Seohyun and Sooyoung laughed as they hopped from store to store carrying all their shopping bags. The customers and employees thought they looked familiar and started to ask for autographs and take pictures with them. As group of high school girls approached them, one of the young girls screamed when they recognized Sooyoung. The young girl screamed.

“Sooyoung! SNSD FIGHTING!”

Seohyun overheard it and looked to see Sooyoung making a fainting smile. Sooyoung missed those days as well and they both knew that those days would never come back. Sooyoung hugged the screaming fan and continued their way through Shibuya. After exiting all the clothes stores, the two girls decided to visit a nearby coffee shop to relax and chat some more.

“Seohyun…I’m tired …let’s go to the café and sleep…”

“Sleep, Unnie?”

“And drink coffee of course…”

Seohyun giggled and they strolled down to the nearby coffee shop. The fans were beginning to die down so it made it easier to transit through the sidewalks. They arrived at the coffee shop and noticed the long lines. Sooyoung frowned.

“Great…”

Seohyun thought of an idea and spoke up.

“Unnie…I’ve never been to the Meiji Shrine…is it nice?”

“Meiji Shrine? Oh…its beautiful! Very peaceful…actually…that’s a good idea…we could hide out there…”

Seohyun laughed.

“Hideout?”

Sooyoung yanked Seohyun once again.

“Let’s go!”

Meiji Shrine

The Meiji Shrine is a giant Shinto shrine dedicated to the late Emperor Meiji and Empress  Shoken. The park is known for its highly traditional symbolism to the Japanese culture and religion. With its gorgeous evergreen trees and solemn atmosphere, the park is separated into two precincts which are, Naien and Gaien.

The Naien is the inner precinct which houses the shrine buildings and treasure museum. The museum contains all the house articles of the Emperor and Empress.

The Gaien is the outer precinct which contains all the historical picture gallery, stadium, and where all Shinto weddings are held. This part is the highly tourist area.

Seohyun and Sooyoung hopped off the bus and made their way through the Shrine. As they walked in, they passed through the giant Torii gates which surprised Seohyun.

“All the times we visited Japan, we never took the time to enjoy sites…” said Seohyun.

“I know…”

The two girls held each others’ arms as they walked through the shrine. There were tourist spread throughout the park but they didn’t seem to the notice the two girls. Sooyoung was at ease. Sooyoung noticed a balloon cart and dragged Seohyun over.

“Unnie…”

“Come on…we used to LOVE balloons!”

Sooyoung bought two pink balloons and tied one on her wrist and another on Seohyun’s wrist. Seohyun shook her head in disbelief.

“Unnie…I’m 25 now…”

“Whatever…you’re still a baby to me…and see its PINK! Fighting!”

They both laughed and continued to look around the shrines. Sooyoung began to drag her feet and complained.

“Maknae…Unnie is tired…let’s sit…”

“You’re just hungry…”

“I know…but I’m tired…I’m out of shape now…”

“It’s because of those waffles, Unnie…”

The two girls took a seat on bench overlooking the giant Shinto shrines. Sooyoung yawned and placed her head on Seohyun’s shoulder. Seohyun smiled.

“Seohyun…so how was your date yesterday? We barely talked about it…”

“Kyuhyun? Umm…”

“Ummmm?”

“He’s…nice…”

“Nice? That’s it? All guys are nice!”

“Well he…he makes feel…comfortable…”

“Comfortable huh? That’s new…tell me more…I like love stories…”

Seohyun giggled and blushed.

“We didn’t do much, Unnie, we just walked and talked…had coffee…oh yeah, he made a drawing too…”

Seohyun pulled the folded picture from her purse and gave it to Sooyoung. Sooyoung was impressed.

“An artist…very cute…I knew he would be good for you…”

“Wait…were you playing matchmaker? Tell me the truth…”

“Don’t be mad…but…I kind of was…Koji and I met him and saw that he was single…I thought about you then…well…yeah…”

Seohyun glared.

“Unnie…”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy yourself!”

“He was…nice…”

Sooyoung laughed.

“Maknae…you’re so lame…but I love you…”

“I love you too, Unnie…”

“Hey! Remember when we visited Japan with the group and Tiffany was being stalked by that gorgeous man!”

“Really? I don’t remember that! Tell me what happened!”

Sooyoung leaped up from the bench and got into her storytelling stance. Seohyun loved Sooyoung’s stories.

“Well remember Tiffany was an English speaker right? Well her, Jessica and I went to Roppangi…the red-light district of Tokyo to get some drinks…when they visited there were some pilots at the area…Tiffany met a handsome pilot named Dominique…oh my goodness!...his smile was radiating and he was so nice! Jessica and I fell in LOVE! But, Tiffany wanted to play hard to get! The man asked for her number and she gave it! We were scared because if Manager-Oppa found out we were DEAD! Well before we left…Tiffany kissed him! The man was in love! After that he wouldn’t stop texting her and calling her! Tiffany was so scared! Remember when we were at the concert and Tiffany threw her phone out the window?!”

“Is that why?”

“Yes!”

“Tiffany-Unnie was mean to play with him…”

“I know right! She was such a tease to all the boys! Tiffany…I miss that girl…”

Sooyoung collapsed back onto the bench and rested her head again on Seohyun.

“Maknae…I want to ask you something…be honest to your Unnie, okay?”

“Yes?”

“Was it my FAULT for the separation of Girls’ Generation?”

Seohyun was shocked by her question and looked to Sooyoung. Sooyoung eased back and stared into the distance towards the crowd of tourists. Sooyoung looked like she was harboring a lot of emotions.

“Unnie…”

“I remember when Taeyeon and I argued about the future of the group…you remember that I didn’t take any crap from anyone even if they were older right?”

“Yes…”

“Taeyeon was our leader but…she simply couldn’t lead…she was too timid…but when she started to argue about the amount of time she was singing and she deserved more lines…I couldn’t hold back…”

*Seohyun’s Flashback*

The tension was real high when the girl returned from their 4^thinternational tour. Their manager had finally left for the night and it was time for the girls to sit down and reflect on their trip. Seohyun noticed how close Taeyeon was getting with the management and rumors were beginning to spread within the group that Taeyeon was looking to go solo. The girls sat in their usual spots on the couch and Taeyeon sat in the middle. No one wanted to speak up. Taeyeon decided to begin.

“I can tell everyone is dead-tired…we had another successful tour and Oppa was pleased with our performance…if anyone wants to speak up, make a comment, or a joke of course, now is the time. If not let’s sleep…”

Sooyoung looked like she had a lot on her mind and slowly stood up. Yuri’s eyes widened and she looked at Yoona signaling that trouble was about to happen. Sooyoung spoke up.

“Taeyeon…I agree our concert was awesome as usual and I’m freaking hungry…as always…”

The girls giggled.

“But…there’s something I want to ask you…are you planning to go solo?”

Everyone was stunned and looked over to Taeyeon. Taeyeon turned pale.

“Solo?”

Sooyoung smirked and slowly rose from her seat.

“I overheard you with Manager-oppa before the concert in Hollywood…you wanted to ‘experiment’… find ways to expand your talent…”

Taeyeon narrowed her eyes towards Sooyoung. Seohyun could feel the “real” emotions begin to reveal.

“Sooyoung…you are correct…I do want to try going solo…new things…but I DON’T want to separate the group…”

“How will that work? You go off and sing while we wait?”

“No…I’m offering the opportunity…no…the management is offering the opportunity to show the audience our own individual talents…this way we could be well-rounded and reveal more character…”

Tiffany seemed to be interested in the idea and whispered to Jessica. Jessica agreed. Sooyoung looked to Yuri and Yoona who were speaking between themselves.

“Yuri…Yoona…don’t you two girls have anything to say?” asked Sooyoung.

Yoona stood up.

“Taeyeon-unnie…I would like to try this idea out…I mean we already have our own tv shows and guest appearances…it won’t be any different…”

Taeyeon frowned.

“Actually Yoona…this is a bit different…we’re temporaily breaking off the group for a little bit…see how it works then coming back…like Destiny’s Child…”

All the girls gasped and Sooyoung spoke up.

“I knew it! Just tell us already…we’re splitting up aren’t we?”

Taeyeon refused to answer. Hyoyeon spoke up.

“I worked my for the past 10 years and this is it, a chance for you to sing your own songs? Why now? Why didn’t you do it before we became a group? Before we got close?”

Taeyeon was breathing slowly and thinking about her answer. Sunny spoke up.

“Taeyeon…we worked too hard together just to let it all disappear…we can’t split…”

Taeyeon’s face was beginning to turn red. The girls did not know what to expect but it finally happened. Taeyeon snapped.

“I’M TIRED OF ALL THIS! I’M TIRED OF SHARING THE LIGHT! I’M TIRED OF IMMATURE LITTLE GIRLS!”

Sooyoung shot back.

“Liitle girls? The only little girl is YOU, Kim Taeyeon…”

Taeyeon snickered.

“Come on…we all know you couldn’t wait to leave this group right?”

Sooyoung was confused but continued to listen.

“Every night…everyday…simply waiting for dear old…Koji…”

“YOU LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!”

All the girls turned to Sooyoung. Seohyun was frightened on the turn of events. Sooyoung spoke up.

“Koji…he’s my boyfriend…that’s it…”

Taeyeon wouldn’t let her voice down.

“Boyfriend?! You guys are getting married…so don’t pretend that ME splitting the group was a bad thing…you were already leaving!”

Seohyun turned to Sooyoung.

“Is that true, Unnie?”

Sooyoung was angry but nodded. It was true. The girls were shocked at what happened. Taeyeon spoke up.

“We have a meeting with the management tomorrow at 7am…I suggest to you to get some rest…it’ll be a LONG day…”

Taeyeon turned and vanished into her room. Sooyoung, her roommate, remained in the living room as the rest of the girls shook their heads in disbelief and returned to their rooms. Seohyun sat at the end of the couch and began to cry. Her dreams were beginning to fade away.

“First, Yong…Now, the group…what do I do now?”

Seohyun watched as Sooyoung trembled with fear and regret as she waited for a response. Seohyun hugged Sooyoung tightly.

“What happened back then should remain there…it was the past…let it rest…”

Sooyoung was moved to tears and smiled.

“I love my Maknae so much…”

Seohyun cried and hugged Sooyoung. Seohyun could feel that Sooyoung had a lot of emotions still running inside of her. For the past 5 years, the memories have been lingering around them. Seohyun could only imagine what was happening with the rest of the former members. Seohyun wiped her tears and spoke up.

“Guess what, Unnie?”

“Yes?”

“Kyuhyun invited me to watch his performance at the Tokyo Hilton tonight…do you want to come?”

“Oh really? No, I can’t, darling. I have some housework to attend to and plus, Koji is leaving for a trip and I need to help him pack.”

“I wish I could be a wife…”

“Haha…it’s stressful but it has its perks…”

“I know…someone that can say they love you back…”

Sooyoung smiled and rubbed Seohyun’s shoulder.

“Let’s go home now…the tourists are starting to stare and plus, I need to make you pretty tonight!”

Seohyun laughed.

“Okay Unnie!”

Later that night, Tokyo Hilton

The Tokyo Hilton is one of most popular 5-star hotels to visit in downtown Tokyo. With its breathtaking architecture, outstanding room service, and classy restaurants, this is a place to feel like a celebrity. Seohyun came out of her taxi and entered the lobby. The air condition hit her quick, relieving her from the humid Tokyo climate outside. She took her cell phone and read Kyuhyun’s text. The text read:

“Seohyun…9pm…Tokyo Hilton…I’ll be in the main bar room…you won’t miss it…see you soon!”

Seohyun closed her phone and walked to the main desk. The gentleman working the desk looked up and was amazed by Seohyun’s radiating beauty. He quickly hung up the phone. He spoke in Japanese.

“Yes…may…ummm…yes…may I help you?”

Seohyun lifted her eyebrow and brought out her arrogant persona.

“I’m looking for a friend…he’s singing here tonight…Cho Kyu Hyun…”

“Why yes…he’ll be making an appearance at the grand ballroom…its located down the hall to the right…do you need an ?”

“An ? No, I’m fine alone. Thank you though…”

The clerk frowned. Seohyun nodded and left the desk. The rest of the clerks looked over and was at awe of Seohyun’s elegant tight dark blue dress. The dress revealed her stunning curves and long legs. Seohyun wouldn’t dare dress like this when she was in her SNSD days but she figured that she was a woman now; she should show-off once and awhile.

“Let’s see…where is this bar? Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun, Kyuhyun…where can you be?” thought Seohyun.

As she walked, she playfully swung her small purse in front of her. She looked innocently through the other corridors as if she were a lost child. She felt a weird sensation that Kyuhyun might be sketching her again so she made sure to give him a cuter pose. She bit her lip in excitement.

“Gosh I’m lame…why would he be sketching right now? He’s busy getting ready for his performance…”

“Seohyun?”

Seohyun turned around and felt her excitement quickly escape her grasp. It was Yongwa and Yoona standing before her. Yoona smiled.

“You look cute tonight…are you here for someone?”

Seohyun rolled her eyes then responded back.

“In fact, I am here for someone. Cho Kyuhyun…the singer tonight…invited me over…lucky me, huh?”

Yoona narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah…lucky you…just to let you know…I’ve heard of him first so…I get to ask him for first…”

Yongwa turned to Yoona with a confused look.

“First?”

Yoona silenced him and smiled towards Seohyun.

“After you, Seo Joo Hyun…”

Seohyun gave a curtsy and headed inside the ballroom. Yongwa watched as Seohyun’s body moved through the doorway. He was stunned at how much she matured. Yoona caught him looking but ignored him.

“Let’s go, Yong…”

The ballroom was filled with very glamorous people who ranged from Japanese and Korean actors to local politicians. Seohyun did not know that Kyuhyun was so popular. She slowly took a seat at the bar and tried to find Kyuhyun.

“He should be by the stage-“

Suddenly someone tapped her shoulder. She quickly turned and found Kyuhyun’s warm smile in front her.

“Seohyun…you made it!”

Right then, Kyuhyun and Seohyun were confused if they should hug or not. Kyuhyun laughed at the awkwardness and give her a high-five. Seohyun blushed.

“It’s cool, Seohyun…so what do you think? I didn’t expect so much people to show up!”

“I never knew you were mixed up with the socialites of Tokyo…”

“I guess they like to go to the Eden Hall on their spare time…you know when it comes to bars…most people like to reveal their true identities…no titles or ranks…just ordinary human beings…it’s a place for them to relax and forget their problems for a short moment…but now it’s different since were in bigger venue…”

Seohyun was excited.

“Kyuhyun, what are you going to sing?”

“You just wait…you’ll see…”

Kyuhyun touched her hand.

“Alright then, I need to speak with my pianist, Ryeowook, we’re about to begin…enjoy the show!”

Kyuhyun turned and hurried back stage. Seohyun looked towards her hand where Kyuhyun touched her and smiled. She couldn’t wait to see what he was going to deliver. She remembered how deep he was with his music and she knew that he placed all his heart in his music.

“I can’t wait…”

Seohyun turned and ordered some champagne. As she waited, she could see from the far corner of the room, Yoona and Yongwa taking a seat. Yoona was her usual, fake self, with her laughing and handshaking to all the celebrities. Seohyun snickered and drank her champagne once it arrived.

“Yoona-unnie…always thinking she’s a big shot…we’ll see…”

Finally, the lights dimmed and show was ready to start. A gorgeous female host stepped out and the crowd cheered. Seohyun didn’t recognize her but she looked popular with the older gentlemen in the crowd. She spoke in Japanese.

“Good evening everyone and welcome to tonight’s show…as you know the Ginza district is known for its great bars, nightlife, and music…our guest tonight comes from Ginza and he will serenade you all with his warm vocals and jazzy performance…so give a hand to Kyuhyun and Ryeowook…also know as…SuJu!”

The audience applauded wildly and the curtains unraveled. Kyuhyun was leaning against the black piano as his partner, Ryeowook, nodded towards the crowd. Kyuhyun looked up with his microphone against his lips. He slowly belted out a Japanese jazz tune to warm the crowd up. Seohyun was astonished by his vocals. There were better than before.

“He’s amazing…”

The way he controlled the crowd, the stage, and the music, it was so professional. Seohyun found herself in a dreamy state of mind as he sang. The way he wore his suit and his opened collar, Seohyun found him so handsome. Kyuhyun looked over to Seohyun as he sang and winked at her. She gave a thumbs-up and turned to drink her champagne. The bartender saw the wink and whispered.

“I saw that wink, Ma’am…”

“You did? What wink?”

The bartender giggled as Seohyun turned to hide her blushing face.

“It was just a wink…just a wink…he’s just playing around…”

The time was reaching close to midnight and the crowd was left in a dreamy state like Seohyun. Kyuhyun had his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up. Ryeowook slowly played a soft jazz tune in the background. Kyuhyun was busy entertaining some of the front row guests.

“Mr. Fujimoto…it’s so nice of you to join us tonight along with your beautiful wife…please give a round of applause for the Mayor!”

The crowd applauded softly as the Mayor bowed and returned to his seat. Kyuhyun had the attention of the whole room no matter what he was doing. From singing to his witty, comedic moments, the crowd loved him. Seohyun was seated at a table and was lightly buzzed from the wine. She smiled as Kyuhyun sang his last song of the night. He always ended with a Korean love song. Kyuhyun sat on the stool as he sang. Seohyun rested her head on her hand as she watched.

“He’s dreamy…”

The crowd had already disappeared and the waiters were slowly wiping down the tables. Seohyun sat at the bar waiting for Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook appeared from the backstage and parted ways by the exit. Kyuhyun gave him a high-five and Ryeowook exited through the door. He turned and smiled at her. Seohyun got off the stool and approached him.

“How was it? Boring?” asked Kyuhyun.

“Boring? Please…it was pretty good…I never knew you could get a crowd so worked up…”

“Yeah…well it’s my job…”

“I wanted to hear that one song you sang though…that “special” song you sang a couple nights back…”

“Oh…yes…well…that’s only saved for special occasions…”

“I see…”

Suddenly, Yoona appeared from behind Seohyun.

“Hi there…I’m Im Yoona…you are Korean right?”

Kyuhyun looked to Seohyun and shrugged.

“Hi, Yoona, I’m Kyuhyun…”

Yoona moved in front of Seohyun.

“We met haven’t we?”

“I think we did…”

“Well…that was the past…what I saw tonight could be your…future…”

“Future?”

“Yes…are you interested in singing in much larger venues? Like stadiums?”

“Ummm…I don’t quite understand where you are coming from…”

“Here…this is my card…”

Yoona pulled out her calling card. Kyuhyun read over it and saw she was talent agent.

“A talent agent from SD Agency?”

“Oh, so you know of us?”

“One of the biggest music companies in Asia…”

“Good…interested?”

Seohyun quickly leaped in and interrupted the exchange.

“Sorry Unnie! I actually was talking with Kyuhyun already…”

Yoona was confused.

“He has my card already…sorry…”

Kyuhyun covered his laugh. Yoona narrowed her eyes.

“We’ll see…give me a call Kyuhyun when you feel like becoming a REAL star…”

Yoona gave the cold shoulder to Seohyun and exited the room. Yongwa was waiting by the doorway and saw Seohyun speaking to Kyuhyun. He became suspicious.

“Seohyun?”

Yoona took Yongwa by his hand.

“Oppa…I’m tired…let’s rest…”

Yongwa nodded and Yoona yanked him over. Yongwa took a glimpse behind him and saw Seohyun smiling towards Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun gave a smirk to Seohyun.

“What was that all about?”

“Oh…Yoona-unnie? Nothing…I was just trying to get rid of her…”

“No…were you implying that you were going to give me a record deal?”

“Ummm…I don’t think I was…”

Kyuhyun frowned. Seohyun became alarmed.

“No! I didn’t mean it like that or anything!”

Kyuhyun laughed.

“Seohyun…I’m kidding! I don’t want to get involved with that type of business anyways! I’m already proud of my job here…”

He rubbed Seohyun’s back.

“Hey, Seohyun…I was wondering…would you like to come with me on a trip?”

“A trip? Where to?”

“Ryeowook and I are heading to western Japan…over to Kobe…there’s going to be a jazz festival…would you like to join us? If not, I absolutely understand…”

Seohyun began to think if she should. Her vacation was still good for another three days.

“How long will we be in Kobe?”

“Well should be back in two days…we won’t be there for long…why?”

“Well I don’t think I told you but I’m returning to Korea very soon…Friday…”

Suddenly, Kyuhyun’s cheerful look disappeared. He looked serious.

“Oh…”

“But, I’ll go…I always wanted to visit that city…”

“Really?! Then its set!”

Seohyun smiled.

“We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon. We’ll be taking the bullet train over there.”

“Oh really? Sounds amazing!”

“It does…”

The air was cool outside the hotel and Kyuhyun waited with Seohyun for her taxi. Kyuhyun and Seohyun played “rock,paper,scissors” as they waited. The concierge watched as the two laughed like two elementary school students. Finally, Seohyun’s taxi arrived.

“Well…this is me…”

Kyuhyun gave a comedic frown as Seohyun walked to her taxi.

“Do you REALLY have to go?”

“Yes…I do, silly…”

“Fine…have a goodnight, Seohyun...”

Seohyun got into the taxi. She rolled the window down and stuck her head out.

“Goodnight Kyuhyun!”

She shut her window and her taxi vanished into the city streets. Kyuhyun stood by the lobby entrance and laughed lightly to himself. He kicked a rock along the walkway and placed his hands into his pockets. He took a stroll down the street then looked up to the stairs. Suddenly, he felt his heart beat a little faster as he remembered Seohyun’s cute smile from across the room. He started to laugh out loud with joy.

“Yeah! She’s coming to watch me sing again!”

He went into a light jog as he made his way to the train station. The night was beautiful and the stars were shining brighter than usual.