"I LIKE you."

 

 

 

The moment Yonghwa said those three words, he knew he'll regret it as soon as they rolled off his tongue. And from Juhyun's expression, he knew she did not expect this.

 

 

 

Juhyun stood there, frozen on the spot, her face blanched and her eyes once again locked to his. Did she hear it right? He.. He likes her? That fast? It's not even a week since they met. She really was dumbfounded.

 

 

 

"S-seohyun..?"

 

 

 

She blinked twice, unsure of what to do. The telephone downstairs stopped ringing already, not that the two remembered there's a caller in the first place.

 

 

 

"Uhm.." She managed to say.

 

 

 

Yonghwa inhaled deeply before starting again. "L-look, Seohyun. I.. Uhm.. Well.. It's true. But you don't have to say anything or what. It's just.. Uhmm.. I like you even though you're always.. You know.. Cold towards me.. And I.."

 

 

 

"Yonghwa.."

 

 

 

 

He stiffened. It's the first time she called him by his name.

 

 

 

"Yonghwa.. I.." Juhyun don't know exactly what to say, especially when her heart is pounding loudly on her chest. She swallowed thickly. "T-there's a reason why I don't like boys. Why I act the way I do with you around. That reason.." She let out a sigh before continuing. "I don't think I can forget that reason easily."

 

 

 

"I don't understand.."

 

 

 

Juhyun shook her head. "I don't, either. All I know is.. You ruined your chance to get comfortable to me because of your sudden confession. I.. This is so awkward.."

 

 

 

"I'm sorry, Seohyun. I shouldn't have said that right now. It's just.." He trailed off once again.

 

 

 

What were he thinking, anyway? Confessing so suddenly. But for all he knows, it's just the way they looked at each other while he was singing.. It made him want to tell her everything. Just everything she needed to know. And now, he realized, him liking her is not included in the list she needed--or wanted--to know.

 

 

 

"I'm sorry." He said again.

 

 

 

She smiled awkwardly before going inside her room and sliding her door closed.

 

 

 

"Christ, Jung Yong Hwa. You're a twerp! A cantakerous and dumb one."

 

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

 

It's dinner time in the Seo residence when their doorbell rang twice.

 

 

 

"I'll get it." Juhyun said, excusing herself to her mom and stepdad as she stood up from her chair.

 

 

 

When she opened their gate, she was surprised to see Yonghwa standing in front of her, his head bowed down.

 

 

 

He looked up and greeted her with an awkward smile. "Hi."

 

 

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

 

 

"Can we talk?"

 

 

 

She glanced back at her house. "Uhmm.. We're actually in the middle of--"

 

 

 

"Juhyun?" A voice interrupted her sentence, and the two looked at the owner of the voice.

 

 

 

"Dad?"

 

 

 

"Who are you talking to? You should invite him in, don't you think?" Her dad said as he approach them.

 

 

 

"Uhm.. Dad.."

 

 

 

"Good evening, sir." Yonghwa politely bowed.

 

 

 

"Good evening, young lad. Why don't you come in?"

 

 

 

Juhyun started to protest. "Dad, it's really unnecessary--"

 

 

 

"Now, now Juhyun. You didn't tell me you have another goodlooking friend aside from Kyuhyun and the boys." Her dad said before turning to face Yonghwa. "What's your name, young lad?"

 

 

 

"Jung Yong Hwa, sir."

 

 

 

"Ah. I see.. Now, Yonghwa," He put his arm around Yonghwa's shoulder, which surprised him and Juhyun, and led him inside. "Why not come in and join us in our dinner? Come now, Juhyun."

 

 

 

 

"Thank you, sir."

 

 

 

"But dad, he just lives--"

 

 

 

"Jagiya, prepare another seat for Yonghwa." The man said to Mrs. Seo as they walked into the dining room.

 

 

 

 

"Dad.." Juhyun tried again.

 

 

 

"Juhyun, why not serve some food for your friend?" Her dad suggested as they took their seats in the table.

 

 

 

"Friend shmfriend." Juhyun murmured as she put food on Yonghwa's plate, making sure he heard her murmur. Yonghwa kept a straight face and bit his tongue to prevent from laughing at the sudden turn of events. His original purpose was to talk to Seohyun about what happened earlier, and now he's sitting with her family and having dinner with them. Sweet.

 

 

 

"So why did you visit our daughter tonight?" Juhyun's dad asked.

 

 

 

 

"Well.. It's.. Um.. It's about the book review we are doing for English. We are partners." Yonghwa answered.

 

 

 

"Is that so? This is the first time Juhyun had a partner that's a boy aside from Kyuhyun." Mrs. Seo mused.

 

 

 

"I see. By the way, the food is delicious, Mrs. Seo." Yonghwa complimented.

 

 

 

"Oh, thank you. Juhyun cooked it."

 

 

 

 

Yonghwa glanced to see Juhyun blushing crimson, and he can't help but smile. Geez, why so cute, Seohyun?

 

 

 

"I never thought you're a nice cook." He said.

 

 

 

"Yeah. Thanks"

 

 

 

The dinner continued, and Yonghwa chatted his way with Juhyun's parents, while she just sat there and eat silently, her presence completely ignored by her parents, only to remember her whenever they have questions or such.

 

 

 

"Yonghwa, since you're just living next door and we're neighbors, we would like to invite your family for another dinner tomorrow, is that okay?" Mrs. Seo asked after desert.

 

 

 

Yonghwa nodded as they all stand . "Sure, Mrs. Seo. I'll tell them later."

 

 

 

"Shouldn't you be going now?" Juhyun asked him in a hush tone so the elders won't hear her.

 

 

 

"I haven't talk to you just yet."

 

 

 

 

"We don't have anything to talk about." She said as she cleared the plates on the table.

 

 

 

"Here. Let me help you--"

 

 

 

"Kids, leave the table alone. I'll do the dishes tonight. Juhyun, why don't you go with Yonghwa?" Her mom said.

 

 

 

The two ended up in front of her house once again after Yonghwa thanked her parents for the meal.

 

 

 

"Your parents are nice." He started.

 

 

 

"Yes, they are."

 

 

 

"You look like your mom."

 

 

 

"Not really. They say I look a lot like my father."

 

 

 

He cocked his head sideways. "Really? I don't think so. He doesn't look anything like you at all."

 

 

 

Juhyun blanched and froze.

 

 

 

"Seohyun? Are you alright?"

 

 

 

"Uhm. Y-yeah. I'm okay. You should go."

 

 

 

"Seohyun," He inhaled deeply and looked into her eyes. "About what I have said earlier.. I'm telling you, I'm serious about it. But.. Can we be.. You know.. Like normal friends--" 

 

 

 

 

The dinner continued, and Yonghwa chatted his way with Juhyun's parents, while she just sat there and eat silently, her presence completely ignored by her parents, only to remember her whenever they have questions or such.

 

 

 

"Yonghwa, since you're just living next door and we're neighbors, we would like to invite your family for another dinner tomorrow, is that okay?" Mrs. Seo asked after dessert.

 

 

 

Yonghwa nodded as they all stand . "Sure, Mrs. Seo. I'll tell them later."

 

 

 

"Shouldn't you be going now?" Juhyun asked him in a hush tone so the elders won't hear her.

 

 

 

"I haven't talk to you just yet."

 

 

 

"We don't have anything to talk about." She said as she cleared the plates on the table.

 

 

 

"Here. Let me help you--"

 

 

 

"Kids, leave the table alone. I'll do the dishes tonight. Juhyun, why don't you go with Yonghwa?" Her mom said.

 

 

 

The two ended up in front of her house once again after Yonghwa thanked her parents for the meal.

 

 

 

"Your parents are nice." He started.

 

 

 

"Yes, they are."

 

 

 

"You look like your mom."

 

 

 

 

"Not really. They say I look a lot like my father."

 

 

 

He cocked his head sideways. "Really? I don't think so. He doesn't look anything like you at all."

 

 

 

Juhyun blanched and froze.

 

 

 

"Seohyun? Are you alright?"

 

 

 

"Uhm. Y-yeah. I'm okay. You should go."

 

 

 

"Seohyun," He inhaled deeply and looked into her eyes. "About what I have said earlier.. I'm telling you, I'm serious about it. But.. Can we be.. You know.. Like normal friends--" 

"We're not even friends in the first place." She interrupted. Juhyun can't seem to help herself be cold to him. It's probably because she's used to being averse to boys for the past four years.

 

 

 

Yonghwa just smiled. "Fine. Seo Ju Hyun," He extended his hand to her. "Will you be my friend?"

 

 

 

Juhyun was stunned for a moment before sighing loudly. "Friends." And then she grabbed his hand lightly and shook it fast before letting go immediately. "For the sake of our book review." She added before leaving Yonghwa standing there and gaping at her rare smile.

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

 

"C'MON, JUST one more shot!"

 

 

 

She giggled. 'Good heavens, she giggled!' Yonghwa thought.

 

 

 

They are in Juhyun's house for the weekend, in the living room to be exact, doing their book review together. Yes, you read it right. Together.

 

 

 

It has been a couple of days since Yonghwa's abrupt confession to her, but because of some miracle, Juhyun finds herself being close to the boy in some ways she never thought would be possible again.

 

 

 

"No! Stop already!" She protested as Yonghwa snapped another photo of her through his dSLR. He has been photographing their work--though mostly he has been photographing Juhyun--for the documentation of their book review, and he seems to enjoy his task. A lot.

 

 

 

"Aww. Don't be a buzzkill, Seohyun! Just one more! Smile!"

 

 

 

Seohyun covered her face with her book while laughing again. "You said that before. Quit it, Jung Yong Hwa! We've had so many pictures already. Besides, we don't need much. Just ten photos would be fine."

 

 

 

"But it will be better if we have more choices, you know?" He argued, snapping a shot at her again.

 

 

 

"But--"

 

 

 

"Fine. Last one."

 

 

 

And then he pulled Juhyun close to him, put his arm around his shoulder, held the camera in front of them at an arm's length, and taking a picture of them two. He checked the picture after, only to see him smiling and Seohyun blushing and looking stunned and dazed. He threw a glance at her, only to see her head bowed down and her hair covering her face. Yonghwa noticed the looming awkward atmosphere so he decided to do whatever it is that comes up to his mind first.

 

 

 

"Hey, is this your photo album?" He exclaimed while grabbing a thick pink ring binded book under the coffee table. He flipped the cover open, and there's one photo of Juhyun during elementary, her hair just shoulder-length compare to the long, wavy locks she has now.

 

 

 

"Obviously."

 

 

 

"You're cute." Yonghwa said while flipping through the pages.

 

 

 

"Who's this, Seohyun?" He asked after seeing about ten or more pictures of her with a man who looked so familiar.

 

 

 

"Uhm. A family." She answered, her tone clipped.

 

 

 

"Oh. That's probably why he looked so familiar. He looked a lot like you."

 

 

 

Juhyun suddenly stiffened, which Yonghwa noticed. "Hey, anything wrong?"

 

 

 

She looked at him, and then to the album on his lap. She shooked her head.

 

 

 

"S-seohyun.. Uhm. Did I say anything wrong?"

 

 

 

"N-no.. It's just.." She trailed off before sighing.

 

 

 

"Tell me." He urged, concern evident on his expression.

 

 

 

 

"I.. Uhm.. I don't know if.."

 

 

 

Yonghwa smiled gently at her. "Come on, Seohyun. You can trust me, you know? We're friends now, remember?"

 

 

 

 

"Well.. It's just a bit off for me. You telling me that I looked like him. It's somewhat funny." She smiled back, sadly though.

 

 

 

"Why?"

 

 

 

"Because.. It's because he is my father."

 

 

 

"Oh."

 

 

 

Yonghwa processed the information for a moment before asking her, "But isn't the man here the other night your dad?"

 

 

 

"He is. But he is my stepdad. The one in the picture is my biological father."

 

 

 

"Where is he now?"

 

 

 

Juhyun looked at him before exhaling loudly. "He's dead.. To me, at least."

 

 

 

Yonghwa was surprised at how bitter her voice was. It's as if her words were covered with venomous poison when she delivered her sentences. And somehow, Yonghwa was scared of her.

 

 

 

"I'm sorry," was all he could utter.

 

 

 

"Don't be. You don't know the real story." She said.

 

 

 

"Well, mind sharing it with me?"

 

 

 

Seohyun smiled, a genuine smile this time. "Since we're friends, and somehow I trust you and I feel comfortable talking to you now. Fine. I'll tell you."

 

 

 

This made Yonghwa grin widely. "Thanks, Seohyun."

 

 

 

 

"You and Kyuhyun will be the only people who will know this aside from my family, okay?"

 

 

 

He just nodded. Deep inside, he's pissed at Kyuhyun. Can't he just disappear so he will be the only one to know her secrets? Oh well, Kyuhyun is the bestfriend, anyway. And he is just a friend. He hates the idea.

 

 

 

She breathed deeply before starting, not looking at Yonghwa. "He's not really dead. I just consider him dead, ever since he left four years ago. My mom and he got divorced during freshman year. And if it wasn't for Kyuhyun, I wouldn't be able to cope well on my own."

 

 

 

'There goes his name again.' Yonghwa thought bitterly.

 

 

 

"So.. Yeah. My father was also the reason why I hated boys. Ah no. I loathed boys."

 

 

 

"Until now?"

 

 

 

"Yes. Until now." And then she grinned. "With a few exceptions, of course."

 

 

 

"I should really blame Mr. Seo for making you like this." He teased.

 

 

 

"Yeah. Blame him for all I care."

 

 

 

"I'm sorry about your situation." He mumbled.

 

 

 

"Nah. It's fine. I'm used to it by now."

 

 

 

Yonghwa just nodded and continued to take a look at the album. There are a lot of pictures of her throughout her childhood. There were even pictures of her and Kyuhyun when they were little kids. Seriously, the guy is everywhere. "Wow. You play piano. Nice." He murmured after seeing pictures of her sitting on or standing beside a grand piano in a stage.

 

 

 

"Yes. That was during a recital." She said absently as she looked over to see what picture he's pertaining to.

 

 

 

"You're eyes were puffy." Yonghwa commented, which made her shrugged.

 

 

 

"Freshman year. Two weeks after the divorce. It was my piano recital, and my father promised to come. Of course he didn't show up, it made me so sad. It was the day I started hating him. And boys. By the way, he was the only one who called me by the name Seohyun, so when you called me that, I really got mad at you. I've never been called Seohyun for years now."

 

 

 

"Ah. I see. But I really like Seohyun. Do you still mind?" She just shook her head as he flipped another page of the photo album.

 

 

 

"Hey. Do you still play piano?"

 

 

 

She nodded. "I do. During free time."

 

 

 

"Will you play for me?" He asked, his voice and eyes pleading.

 

 

 

"If I say no, will you still insist?"

 

 

 

Yonghwa grinned a toothed grin. "Of course."

 

 

 

Seohyun just smiled and sighed before standing up. "I knew it. Come on upstairs."

 

 

 

"But the piano is there." He pointed at the room beside the living room, where a grand white piano sits.

 

 

 

She just kept on walking to the stairs. "I don't use that. I use my keyboard. It's in my room."

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

 

"Wow. You're obsess with Sergeant Keroro, alright." Yonghwa muttered when they entered Seohyun's room. He knew when he saw her Facebook account that she likes Keroro, but he never thought it's like this. Her room's covered with green Keroro wallpaper, and a lot of Sergeant Keroro characters and action figures are everywhere. Almost everything is Keroro merchandise.

 

 

 

"Yeah, I am." She said as she set up her keyboard. Yonghwa sat on the chair by her study desk while watching her move. She really is beautiful, all the time. She moves with complete poise and grace, very lady like. And it just made her even prettier. Her hair bounces whenever she moves, and Yonghwa has the urge to touch it lightly or even run his fingers through it just so he can prove to himself that her hair's soft as silk. He wonders if she'll agree to the idea--

 

 

 

"What do you want me to play?"

 

 

 

His train of thoughts was interrupted when Seohyun spoke, her eyes meeting his briefly.

 

 

 

"Uhm. It's up to you."

 

 

 

She started to play a piece she just finished learning by herself (and some Youtube videos) a few days ago. The piece is called "Bella's Lullaby". Yes, the very OST of The Twilight Saga, one of her favorite movies, thanks to Tiffany and her Edward Cullen obsession. Yonghwa liked her style of playing. They do have different styles in playing the piano, but hers is much better than his.

 

 

 

When she finished, Yonghwa clapped loudly and playfully gave her a standing ovation. "Bravo! Brava!" He exclaimed, which made her laugh.

 

 

 

"You really should laugh and smile a lot. It's making you even more gorgeous." He said, a boyish smile on his face.

 

 

 

She just snorted. "You and your compliments can go home now, Mr. Jung." And then she pushed him out of her room.

 

 

 

"Aww! Okay fine! I'll go. No need to push me. Geez."

 

 

 

"Bye now." She said as she walked him out of their gate.

 

 

 

"Yeah. Bye, neighbor slash partner. See you when I see you." "Sure, sure."

 

 

 

"And thanks for today. Thanks for trusting me, too." He then winked before walking away to his house next door.

 

 

 

Juhyun just shook her head lighty, a wide smile plastered across her face. And that's when she realized she let Yonghwa inside her room. She gasped.

 

 

 

No one has ever seen her room, aside from her family, for goodness' sake! Kyuhyun has never even been to her room before because she won't let him in. And now.. And now..

 

 

 

Shoot anonymous!

 

 

 

 

-End of Part Three-