YoonTeuk : Just Us

11.59 PM, the time which the wall clock told him. He glanced at his room’s door to make sure he locked it already. He wanted to make sure none of his group members could barge inside his room and disturb the precious moment. He smiled shortly, reminding himself that she will call him in a minute. 12 AM, a fixed time when she usually call him. His beloved junior whom he doted so much, perhaps as a brother loving his younger sister? The clock struck midnight and his phone rang, he waited on the count of three and pick up the call.

His lips curved into another smile as he heard the voice from the other side.

“Oppa, am I bothering you?” Her soft voice sounded like she just cried. How does he know this? She usually called him after she cried or so he thought.

“Nope, I’m free. Didn’t I tell you? So, how’s your day?” He asked her in the calm tone.

Right after she heard his question, she told him everything. She tell him how the other trainees looked at her like she’s some sort of alien—just because the seniors favor her, and because he, one of the well-known seniors favor her. She will also rant out everything to him while crying, even though he never asked whether she’s crying or not. He did his best and listen to every single word she uttered through the phone call that usually go on for hours.

“Thank you, oppa. I don’t know who else I can tell these kinds of things. I’m glad I have you. Oppa, can I ask you something?”

He softly yawned after she finished, but he tried to make it unheard. He was tired that day due to his never-ending schedule. No matter what, he will listen attentively to every word she said and answered whenever he needs to.

“Yes, go ahead.” He answered shortly.

“Why do you always listen to my rant every night? I heard that you are busy.” After all the phone calls in the past until now, this is always the question she will ask him in variety kind of ways. He can feel that she gathered her courage a lot before she managed to ask him.

He took a deep breath before responding to her question carefully.

“—because I want you to marry me.” He answered truthfully. He had been preparing the same kind of answer for every question she asked differently. The question she asked him in the end of their phone call can be said differently, but she definitely interpreted it in the same meaning; “Why did he do all this for her? Why he lend his ears every night to listen to her?”

He sighed silently the moment he heard her laughter. He could imagined open as wide as an alligator when he heard her laughter. Nevertheless, her laughter bring him happiness he could never ask for anywhere else. He let her laughter died down as he added on.

“Why are you laughing, Yoona?” He asked her and called her name at the end to show he is serious about it.

However, she never took him seriously.

“It’s because you are funny, oppa. Stop joking around about asking me to marry you. Anyway, I’m sorry again for taking up lots of your precious time. Good night, oppa~ Sleep well!” She bid him goodbye and ended the phone call.

He let himself fall on his back on the bed behind him along with his phone. He sighed again for an umpteenth time after remembering her response.

“How can you think I’m joking when I’m all serious? You’ve grown up prettier each passing day and my feelings grow fonder each passing moment. Am I the only one feeling like this?”

He heard a knock on the door and let the person’s knocking inside his room. This time, he didn’t bother to lock the door since his group members already know all about his midnight phone calls with the girl named Im Yoona.

“Hey Teuk.” His same age buddies in the group called out to him by the door.

“What is it, Hee chul ah?”

“Has it ended?”

“What?”

“Your daily routine with Yoona. You know what I’m—” Heechul smirked as he walked towards the chair besides Leeteuk’s bed.

“Why do I feel like you make it sounds so weird? Well, it’s just the usual. She’s pressured by the people’s expectation of her.” Leeteuk’s lips once again curved up into a warm smile remembering the phone call earlier.

Heechul who noticed this took granted of the situation.

“If you like her, just go and tell her.” Heechul could no longer stand on watching. Ever since their trainee days, he could sense it that Leeteuk have fallen for their company’s favorite deer. Even when he came on FO2, he noticed how restless Leeteuk can be when Yoona join the programme with Taecyeon. He feel pity looking at Leeteuk, so he decided to go and join FO2 for his purpose. He can even see that Leeteuk feel slightly jealous and okay with him when he joined the programme.

“I don’t like—” Leeteuk paused and ended his words abruptly. He looked down, knowing that there’s a truth behind Heechul’s statement to him. He knows and he admitted that he can no longer deny it that he had fallen for SNSD’s main center, Im Yoona. Leeteuk who watched her blossoming like a flower from a young clueless girl to a beautiful confident woman cannot suppressed his feelings towards her as a man. He loves Yoona, the way a man love a woman. He tries to hide the feelings by suppressing it, but he couldn’t. Yoona, the ideal type of most Koreans men out there makes her seems unreachable to him.

“Well, I’m going out. Sort out your thoughts.” Heechul walked out of Leeteuk’s room, leaving the door open.

Leeteuk grab his phone with his left hand and stared at the picture of Yoona and him together the other day. His smile appear shortly before his thoughts comes up.

“It’s not the right time yet, she’s still young.”

Leeteuk closed his eyes and let himself fall deeper and deeper into the world of dreams.

“Hey.”

He called out to her the moment he managed to grab her hand. Fortunately, they were in a rather secluded place to not be seen by anyone. Leeteuk tried to call out to Yoona again because she’s not looking at him.

“Yoong, why won’t you look at me?”

Yoona took a deep breath to calm down before turning her body facing Leeteuk. Leeteuk who is still holding her right hand in his, look at her straight in the eyes.

“Now, you are finally looking at me.” He smiled, showing his dimple.

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

He knew she’s going to ask this question. Heechul and Kyuhyun have reminded him many times to tell her the news before it goes viral, before she have to know it from someone else.

“I only found out about it online. So, you are leaving soon right?”

Leeteuk sighed and softly squeeze her hand in his. He softens his gaze on her.

“Yeah, I’ll be enlisting soon enough. Umm, Yoona.”

Yoona did not try to release her hand from Leeteuk’s grasp, she knew deep down that just a polite hug in the recording earlier is not enough. He was her best friend, he listens every words she said to him, he was someone who is willing to stay all night listening to her, he was someone who is always by her side whenever she needs someone, he was the one—

“I’m glad to see you come earlier. I—”

Yoona eyes started to get teary, she decided to cut Leeteuk’s words before she could really cry in front of him.

“—I thought you will feel better seeing your virtual wife, Kang So Ra.” Yoona looked away, she knew her tone sounds like she’s jealous. But, she cannot hide it. Hide what? Her inner voice asked her. She want to answer back until she heard Leeteuk’s voice again.

“We’re just friends. It’s just a show. Now, back to us again—I wanted to thank you for coming. I wanted to explain it to you, the reason why I haven’t told you that I’ll be enlisting. It’s just that we’re on—”

Yoona cut him off with a question that has been running around in her mind since the first night of their late night phone calls.

“Oppa, what are we?” Yoona looked at Leeteuk straight in the eyes with her brown deer-like eyes.

“We are—” He paused, he could not answer this. His heart really want to give her the answer he wanted, but his brain signaled him not to. As he fought against his inner mind and heart, Yoona gently releases her hand from Leeteuk’s grasp.

“I… Umm—let’s pretend I didn’t ask you anything. Let’s just return two the way we normally are. Oppa, I wish you all the best for the enlistment. Take care of yourself. Let’s meet up when you got discharged.” Yoona smiled warmly at Leeteuk who looked confused and taken aback by her action.

“But, I—”

Yoona pulled Leeteuk into a warm hug, as if she did not want to let him go. The moment when Leeteuk’s hand tries to wrap her closer to him, Yoona broke the hug.

“I need to go, oppa. Let’s talk again later. I’ll visit you when you have time. Good night, oppa.” Yoona bade goodbye and walked away from his sight after leaving in her manager’s car.

“Why won’t you let me finished what you first started?” Leeteuk asked the question to the wind, hoping it could fly all the way to Yoona. He laughed at his own silly thoughts and walked back to his dorm.

“What am I thinking? I almost ruin everything…”

Regrets, mistakes, unsaid feelings- All these kind of things make she wished she had overcome her barrier and tell him everything that night. Yoona knew deep down that she could feel herself losing a big part of her life. It’s just happened that way ever since that night, that very night before Leeteuk left for enlistment. Two whole years, she tries to figure things out. His absence by her side definitely makes Yoona to be able to solve and figure things out.

“This is not as easy as it seems.”

She sighed. Tomorrow, he’ll return to the company again after being discharged. Lots of things have happened to both of them throughout the two years, but nothing can beat his pain of losing someone he loves dearly. She could not come to his side because she is wary of the reporters around them. Yoona wished she had comfort him and ease his pain. She knew he tried very hard to flash that cheeky smile of his.

“Am I too late to realize this?”

She feels confused, did not know what to do nor say to him. She had been avoiding him after he got discharged, probably because she did not want to see that smile of his—it makes her heart beats fast. Yes, she’s in love with him. It is not as easy as it seems, it took her years to finally take noticed of it. But, she knew it would be impossible to go ahead and confessed her feelings to him.

“His fans probably prefer him to be together with Kang Sora-sshi since they suit each other.”

Yoona continues to mumble to herself while gulping down some mineral water. She goes deeper into her own thoughts to not realize what’s coming for her.

“Hey.”

Yoona’s mind immediately returns to her body after she recognized that voice. Yoona tried to ignore her thumping hard—the aftereffect of realizing her own feelings.

“Uhh—hey.”

She replied, trying to appear as casual as she can. She did not realize that she looked flustered enough due to her action. She stand up too quickly and almost drop her drinking bottle.

“What are you doing here, at this hour?” He threw her a question, casually.

“I’m practicing my dance moves.” She replied calmly on the outside, while her heart going crazy on the inside.”

“Oh—Yoona…”

Yoona looked at Leeteuk who called out her name softly. She tightens her grip on her water bottle, to ease her nervousness.

“Yes, oppa?”

He breathes in slowly, obviously he like it when she addressed him like that. Leeteuk walks closer to Yoona.  He stopped at about 600 meter away from her, trying to keep his distance as always.

“Why haven’t you come and see me?” The question he had been keeping since that night, slipped out of his mouth just like that.

“I sent you letters and messages.” She replied shortly.

“That does not count. Plus, you used someone else to relay your messages. You should’ve come and see me… on your own.” His voice sounds shaky. Leeteuk right hand tries to reach out to Yoona, but he paused midway.

“Huh?”

Leeteuk looked at Yoona straight into her eyes and continues what he intended to do earlier. His right hand reached out to her. He gently holds Yoona’s hand before he spoke again.

“Yoona, I’m sorry for leaving your question unanswered two years ago…”

“It’s okay, plus you got lots of things going on. I—”

Leeteuk squeeze Yoona’s hand softly making her stop mid-sentence.

“Listen to me.”

Yoona could only nod back as an answer for his seriousness.

“Yoona, that night, in the past, I’ve always been a coward. I am afraid that you might leave me if I ever tell you the truth.”

“How can I leave you when there’s nothing you have ever told me?”

Yoona’s remark make Leeteuk think for a while and looked down. After he had organized his thoughts, he looked at her again with his warm smile.

“Yoona, will you run away from me if I told you that I want to be more than just friends?”

“Why would I? There’s no reason to. If not just friends, do you want us to be lovers then?”

Leeteuk grinned like an idiot and entwined his hands together with Yoona.

“Nope, not lovers... I—”

“If not, then don’t hold my hands like this. Friends don’t do this all the time, you know?”

Yoona jerk away Leeteuk’s hands and pouts. She feels like she have done a big mistake by letting her inner thoughts out earlier. Leeteuk chuckles for a moment seeing Yoona cuteness. He cupped her cheeks in his large hands and turn her head to look at him again.

“I don’t want to be ‘just friends’ or ‘lovers’ like boyfriend and girlfriend only with you. I want more than that. I know I’m greedy for asking this to you, but I can no longer leave my feelings alone like this. Neither do you.”

“Then, what is it that you actually want? Answer me, oppa.”

Leeteuk pulls Yoona closer, enveloping her into his embrace as he moves to her right ear and whispers softly by her ear.

“Let’s get married.”

That very moment Yoona ears caught those three words, her tears that she have been holding back rolled down her cheeks.

“Don’t joke around with me, oppa.”

“I’m not. I’m being serious.”

“Are you sure you won’t regret it? If I said the answer, there is no backing down. You can’t say that you want to divorce me because I’m not like your ideal woman. I have many areas where I’m lacking. I don’t know—”

Leeteuk lightly kisses Yoona’s forehead causing her to be speechless.

“Are you done?”

Yoona nodded slightly.

“I know this is not a romantic proposal event. It might be too sudden for you, but believe me, Yoona. I want to spend the rest of my life with you as friends, best friends, lovers, as well as husband and wife. I want it to be just us. So, what’s your answer Im Yoona-sshi?”

Without a second thought, Yoona hugged Leeteuk and smiled happily in tears as she looked at him.

“Call me Mrs. Park from now on. Please take care of me from now on, my husband.”

Leeteuk cannot contain his happiness as he lightly peck her lips, making Yoona blushes hard.

“Please take care of me too, jagiya~”

Authors's Note:

I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been caught up in lots of things, so I haven't got the chance to focus totally on writing. I'll do my best. Please leave comments about this chapter. Thanks for reading :)

p.s: do enter this  Olympian Writing/Graphics/Meme Contest [Open] competition of you are interested to join :)