JUHYUN WALKED alone in the crowded hallway of their school early Friday morning. Everybody seemed busy since it is the last day of the school festival. There are lots of things they need to do, and the student council is a great example for that.

 

Juhyun was assigned to judge each section's booth and with Taeyeon's help, they have to pick the winners for the most successful booth. Aside from that, she's also assigned, along with Tiffany and Jessica, in organizing and overseeing the annual Battle of the Bands that will take place later at six o'clock in the evening. Good thing Tiffany and Jessica volunteered in holding the program for the special performance of EXO so she was not loaded with all the tasks. Some best friend Kyuhyun is.

 

She headed to her locker, and there she found a bouquet of yellow tulips, including a small card tucked in the flowers. She smiled to herself as she read the message.

 

 

**

 

Seohyun,

 

Good luck on all your tasks today. Sorry I wasn't able to walk you to school. We stayed at Minhyuk's house overnight to practice for today's battle.

 

See you when I see you.

Yonghwa ^^"

 

**

 

 

Yes. Yonghwa started courting her weeks ago, and surprisingly, Juhyun agreed to it. Everyday ever since, there were little surprises from him awaiting her. She grew closer and closer to him, much to Kyuhyun's hidden dismay. She was even more surprised at herself for being comfortable with another boy other than her old friends. She was supposed to hate him to the core like any other man out there. But no. There's something in him that made Juhyun feel okay whenever she's with Yonghwa. Not knowing though, that when she is close to him, she is making the boy fall for her even more.

 

They already went on several dates, and she seemed to grew past--if not all--her hatred towards man. Yonghwa has been helping her a lot in unknown ways. And he is very fun to be with, too. They both have a lot in common and difference in interests which made it even better since they could learn new things through and with each other. Her parents knew about them and are more than happy since finally, their daughter started dating. Juhyun already met the Jungs and they are all nice to her. They actually love her.

 

She's still smiling to herself as she put the flowers back in her locker and tucked the card in her wallet as a remembrance.

 

Walking to her classroom, where the SC turned it into a KPOP inspired Coffee Shop, she bumped into Kyuhyun.

 

"Morning, bestfriend." He greeted her with a sweet smile.

 

"Morning, Kyuhyuniee. You look tired." She replied.

 

"Yeah. Stayed up all night to finish the documentations for the festival. The teachers want it already. Ugh." He groaned.

 

"Well, why not have some of our coffee to start with?"

 

The boy raised his eyebrow. "Will you make me one?"

 

"Sure!"

 

After Kyuhyun drunk his cup of Macchiato and Juhyun finished her Wintermelon milk tea, they stood up and began their tasks. It's 8:30 and in half an hour, the school gates will be open for visitors of the festival from other school.

 

 

--

 

 

CHO KYU HYUN was on his way to the washroom when he saw Jung Yong Hwa and his friends walking in the same direction he was walking to. He entered the room first and got inside a cubicle to do his thing. By then, the four boys were inside the washroom and chatting. He cannot help but overheard the conversation.

 

"So, you're asking her tonight?" One of them asked.

 

"Yes. I really hope and pray that she'll say yes." Another answered, and Kyuhyun was positive that the voice was from Yonghwa.

 

"I'm sure she will, bro." A third voice answered.

 

"Yeah. She's whipped as you are to her." A different voice added.

 

"I don't know. I'm not sure yet. I want to be optimistic about it. But then again, it's Seo Ju Hyun we are talking about here." Yonghwa said, and Kyuhyun froze at the mention of his best friend's name.

 

"Just stay positive, man. Like how I am positive about us winning in the battle tonight." Then they all laughed.

 

"Don't worry about it. She is into you, I'm sure. She hadn't have any other interactions with other boys except her friends and you for a very long time. That's something. She likes you. Trust me." Assured one of them.

 

"Not as much as I like her, though."

 

"Aw. Do you just LIKE her? Because it seems to us that it is more than that." Another laughter.

 

"Yeah. It is more than that. And that makes me more nervous."

 

Kyuhyun heard another batch of assurance as the voices faded away and the door closed. He finally got out of the cubicle and stared at the worried reflection of himself in front of the mirror.

 

So.. Yonghwa is going to ask Juhyun to be his girlfriend tonight after weeks of being her suitor. How crumpled Kyuhyun's heart felt about it.

 

Why did he let the situation come to this? He shouldn't have agreed when Yonghwa asked his permission to court her. He gave his permission to Yonghwa because he knew that the latter doesn't have any chances on being with Juhyun. But then, what happened? Juhyun won't even walk with him on the way to and from school because she's always with Yonghwa. There wasn't even much going on between the two best friends unlike before. It's like they are becoming apart. All because of the new guy. He never thought this will happen. He did not expect this.

 

 

--

 

 

KYUHYUN IS nowhere to be found during lunch time. His friends were worried about him since he hasn't eaten anything yet and they needed him so much for the activities later.

 

"He's still not answering his phone." Juhyun said in frustration.

 

"Maybe we should start a search party for him already." Sungmin suggested and Sunny and Yoona rolled their eyes at him.

 

"Did you try calling his home phone?" Donghae inquired.

 

"Yes. No one's answering." She muttered.

 

"What if he fell asleep somewhere in here?" Yuri said over her cheeseburger.

 

"Wow, Kwon Yul. That's so Kyuhyun." Heechul said sarcastically, this time rolling his eyes at the girl.

 

"Yah! I'm trying to help here." Yuri defended herself.

 

"Is he that busy to NOT answer his phone?" Juhyun complained.

 

"Maybe he is. Stop worrying, guys. He's old enough to take care of himself." Leeteuk said.

 

"Besides, he'll come around anytime, I'm sure." Hyoyeon added.

 

Everyone in the table resumed eating, and Juhyun sighed before popping a mouthful of pasta in . 'Yes, Kyuhyun will come around.' She assured herself.

 

 

--

 

 

"WHERE DID he go?" Kyuhyun murmured to himself as he went up on the fifth floor of the school building. He's been looking for Yonghwa for an hour now but he can't find the guy anywhere. He needs to talk to him about Juhyun. It's very important that he can't wait for later. He already searched for all places that's possible for Yonghwa and his band to hang out, but the guy was elusive. Kyuhyun heaved out a sigh as he went upstairs to the rooftop, the only place left unsearched.

 

To his relief, Yonghwa is there, though he is not alone. With him are the other boys, Jonghyun, Jungshin and Minhyuk. They looked busy, but they are not practicing for battle of the bands. They seemed to be fixing and decorating the rooftop. Weird.

 

Kyuhyun cleared his throat loudly for them to hear, and the four turned to face him. Yonghwa's eyes widened in disbelief.

 

"Kyuhyun?! W-what are you doing here? You weren't supposed to be here!" Yonghwa exclaimed the words to him in a panicky way.

 

"Chill, man. I'm here to talk." Kyuhyun said, his arms slightly raised in what appeared as a surrender.

 

The other just shrugged. "Um. Okay, then."

 

"Alone." Kyuhyun added, looking at the three boys who were watching them. The three scurried away in different directions, making sure that the two will be out of their earshots when they are talking.

 

"So.. What's up, Kyuhyun?" Yonghwa asked.

 

Kyuhyun sat on a bench before starting. He glanced around the rooftop before looking at Yonghwa. "What's with the decorations and all?"

 

Yonghwa smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "Well, I really hope you'll keep this a secret. No one except the four of us and some school admins should know about this, but here you are."

 

"What secret?" Kyuhyun asked in confusion.

 

Yonghwa grinned a nervous grin. "It's actually for Seohyun."

 

"J-juhyun?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"What for?"

 

Yonghwa sat down beside Kyuhyun before answering. "I know I already have your permission on this, since you're her best friend. And later tonight, after the Battle of the Bands, or maybe after Exo's performance, if she is going to watch it.. I'll ask her to come up here.." He trailed off.

 

"And?" Kyuhyun probed, his palms sweating. He already knew what's next, he just want to hear it again from Yonghwa just to make sure he heard it right.

 

"And.. I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend." Yonghwa exhaled louder than necessary.

 

He felt a lump forming in his throat all of a sudden. "Is that so?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Well, I heard it right, then."

 

Yonghwa cocked his head sideways. "What?"

 

"You see, I heard you talking with them in the washroom earlier. Sorry, I did not mean to eavesdrop. I got there first."

 

"Uhm. It's okay I guess. But will you.. Um.. Keep it to Seohyun? I want to surprise her. Please do not tell her."

 

Kyuhyun's face turned serious. "Actually, I can't."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

It's Kyuhyun's turn to exhale loudly. "I can't let you do this. I can't let you ask Juhyun to be your girlfriend--"

 

"What?! But you already approved! What do you mean you can't? I have your consent to court her! So what are you saying now? That you're backing off with your words--"

 

"I love her!" Kyuhyun quietly shouted, interrupting Yonghwa and completely loosing his cool in the situation. There, he said it.

 

"You.. You love her?" Yonghwa whispered incredulously.

 

"I do. Ever since. For a long time. I love her." He uttered almost melancholy.

 

"B-but.. I.."

 

"I love her. Very much. I just don't have the heart and courage to tell her. I'm afraid it might break our bond as best friends. So I kept it to myself. Until now."

 

Yonghwa is staring at him in disbelief. Kyuhyun loves her? He loves her, too? Goodness gracious, here comes trouble. "If.. If you do.. Then why did you let me court her?"

 

The other smiled sadly. "That's because I was confident she won't entertain you even for a bit. I thought you won't stand a chance at her just like any other boys who have tried. Heck, I was wrong. She became closer to you. Farther from me. I regret it so much up to this point. If only.." Kyuhyun inhaled deeply to collect his scattering pieces of thoughts again. "If only I did not let you be close to her, then she would not be into you as she is now."

 

"Look, Kyuhyun--"

 

"Listen first." Kyuhyun stopped Yonghwa with whatever words he has to say to him. "I allowed you to be her suitor because.. I'm a hundred and one percent positive that she's not into you. But I failed on that part. And now.. She's.. She fell for you." Kyuhyun hung his head.

 

"She.. She f-fell for me?" Yonghwa repeated in a hush tone.

 

"Don't you see it?" Kyuhyun continued when Yonghwa shook his head furiously. "Because I do. I knew she already fell for you weeks ago, even before you decided to court her. I know her that much. I've been with her ever since we're little kids. She never looked at me the way she looks at you. Ever."

 

"You know what.." Yonghwa said when he stopped. "You're stupid."

 

The other laughed, but his laughter was humorless. "Pretty much, yeah."

 

"If you love her ever since, why didn't you just tell her?" He said in gritted teeth.

 

"That's another thing I regret, too. I thought that when I keep her by my side, even just as a best friend, I won't lose her. That she'll stay beside me. I used the advantage of her hatred towards other boys. I was sure that if she kept hating them, no boys will come to her. Sure, a lot had tried, and a lot had experienced the Seo Ju Hyun Rejection. I thought I'd get to keep her with me like that." He chuckled bitterly at his own words. "But then you transferred here. And everything changes. Especially her. To be honest, I hated you for that. I hated you for taking my Juhyun away from me."

 

Silence wrapped around the two boys as they digested their serious conversation. They are surprised at how no one has laid even a single punch at the other and how calm they are discussing the topic. But deep inside, their bloods are boiling at each other, all because of one girl.

 

"I really don't know what to say." Yonghwa finally mumbled.

 

"Jung Yong Hwa." Kyuhyun faced him and put his hands on the other's shoulders. "Please. Don't. Just don't tell Juhyun just yet. Please. I am begging you." Kyuhyun's voice and eyes were pleading. He is almost desperate about this. He can't let Juhyun be with another boy without giving out much of a fight. "Give me some time. Please. Let me tell her how I feel first. Please. Yonghwa, please." He added.

 

Yonghwa shook his head and brushed Kyuhyun's hands off his shoulders. "No. You already had your chance. Long even before I came. You wasted them all. Not my problem anymore."

 

"But.."

 

He stood up. "No, Cho Kyuhyun. I'm sorry. But I want her. Ah, no. Scratch that. I need her. I love her."

 

"Can't I have at least one last chance? This isn't fair."

 

"Life is unfair. So is love."

 

Kyuhyun finally stood up. "Then I will tell her. Whatever happens I'll tell her how I feel about her tonight."

 

"And what? Hurt her? Make her suffer?" Yonghwa was almost shouting.

 

"I won't do that!"

 

"Tch. You're the one who told me she fell for me. It only meant one thing, right? She loves me, too. So if you will tell her that you love her, you'll just make it hard for her. You are still her best friend. Whatever happens, she still cares for you. She doesn't want you hurting. If you tell her you love her, she has to choose between the two of us. It will pain her to choose. Don't make it hard for her."

 

"But how about me? I'll be hurting, too."

 

"And whose fault is that? You blew off your lifetime of a chance with her. So, typically, don't you think you kind of deserve it?"

 

"You jerk!" Kyuhyun raised his fist to hit him in the face but stopped himself a few inches away. The other did not even flinch. They had a minute of staring duel before Kyuhyun his heel and walked out of the place.

 

 

--

 

 

THE FESTIVAL is in full swing as the sun readied itself to set over the horizon. In exactly forty-five minutes, the Annual Battle of the Bands will start and the councils in charge were busy with the last minute preparation.

 

"Has anyone seen Kyuhyun already?" Tiffany shouted. She's at the backstage with Juhyun and Jessica and other student councils along with the participating bands. At the farthest place in the line of band members, were BLUE, Yonghwa's band. They will be the last to perform since they were the last to join in the battle.

 

Yonghwa spotted Juhyun looking at him and he waved at her with a big smile plastered at his handsome face. She smiled and waved back.

 

Juhyun received a nudge on her shoulder from Jessica who's busy writing on her clipboard.

 

"Flirt later, Juhyun. We have things to do." She scolded the younger playfully.

 

"I wasn't flirting!" Juhyun defended herself, all the while turning crimson red on her face.

 

Jessica laughed out loud. "I was kidding, of course!" And then she squinted her eyes at her. "You know, you aren't fair. I called the dibs on him first, and yet here you are. I'm not expecting you'll be my rival. Tsk tsk." She shook her head, feigning disappointment at Juhyun. "Anyway, there are a lot of other guys out here in SMH. So, he's all yours!"

 

Juhyun let out a giggle. "Surely there are lots of other boys here." And then in a hush tone, she added, "But you know, Donghae's kind of into you right now. Why not give him a try?"

 

Jessica's eyes widened. "Lee Dong Hae?"

 

"Yep."

 

"God, Juhyun! You could have told me sooner!"

 

They got interrupted when they heard another shout from Tiffany. "Cho Kyu Hyun! I'm going to kill you once I see you!"

 

"Yah, Tiff. Why do you keep on looking for him?" Jessica asked the frustrated girl.

 

"I need him!" And then realizing that the words sounded wrong in so many levels, she added. "I mean, I need him to approve these things I have! And he's been MIA almost the whole day! Like, hello?! He's the president! We need him here! Duh! Geez! Ugh!"

 

"You're too, defensive, Ms. Hwang." Jessica teased.

 

"I'm not!"

 

The other just laughed."Whatever!"

 

"I'll find him." Juhyun volunteered and started out of the backstage to the school building. There's only one place in her mind where Kyuhyun would be right now, and that's where she's headed. Why didn't she think about it earlier? Pabo.

 

 

--

 

 

"KYUHYUNIEE?"

 

Kyuhyun raised his head from the Grand Piano when he heard her voice. Juhyun entered the Music Room and walked to him.

 

"Hey." He croaked.

 

"Hey." She murmured. "We've been looking for you."

 

"Have you?"

 

"Yes. Where have you been all this time?"

 

"Just there and there."

 

"Are you okay?" She asked, noticing the unusual glumness of him.

 

"Yeah. Just tired."

 

"We all are. But you should really go out there. Tiffany's frantic. We need you there."

 

"Do you?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

 

"Of course."

 

"Juhyun.." He was so tempted to confess to her, then and there. But Yonghwa's words came rushing in, and then he faltered. Again.

 

"What is it?"

 

"I.."

 

"Hm? C'mon and hurry up. We're needed out there."

 

"I.."

 

"You what, Kyuhyuniee?"

 

He sighed and managed to force out a small smile. He ruffled Juhyun's hair and said "Nothing."

 

Juhyun just pouted and fixed her hair before going out of the room with him.

 

They headed immediately backstage. A few more minutes and the show will start. A lot of audience are waiting outside and the first band seemed ready.

 

Kyuhyun walked to Yonghwa and pulled him out of everyone's earshot.

 

"I trust you." Kyuhyun said when they are finally alone at a corner.

 

"Huh?"

 

"I trust you with Juhyun. Take good care of her." He said in a serious tone.

 

Yonghwa blinked a few times and swallowed thickly before speaking. "You mean.."

 

Kyuhyun nodded. "You got my go signal. Go for Juhyun." Yonghwa broke into a smile before absentmindedly hugging Kyuhyun briefly. He was so elated he forgot that he shouldn't be doing that. "Um. Thanks, man! Thank you!"

 

"Sure. I just realized you're right. About Juhyun being hurt and all if I confessed all of a sudden. So maybe I just let the two of you be and I'll try to move on. I love her that much."

 

Yonghwa impishly narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I don't love her as much?"

 

He just shrugged. "I sacrificed."

 

"Yah. If I were in your place, I'd do the same, too."

 

Kyuhyun smirked. "Tss. I know." And then he turned serious again. "Take care of her. If you don't, you'll regret it. If she cried and got hurt because of you, you'll be talking to my fists."

 

"I will take good care of her, I promise. And I won't ever hurt her. You have my word."

 

"Good, then." Kyuhyun gave him a slap on his arm. "Go backstage. Good luck later, man."

 

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

 

 

--

 

 

EVERYONE IS still enjoying the program as the third to the last performer in the Battle of the Bands played their final song. The bands are only allowed to sing two songs each. There were three judges for the contest which composed of the vocalist of the band from last year's Battle, the music teacher of SMH, and the special judge courtesy of Jung Jessica, the manager of EXO. Tiffany kept insisting on the manager that he let one of EXO's lead vocalist be the judge ("Or much better, my Luhan oppa!"), but of course he declined because they are really not scheduled to do that and besides, it's very abusive on the students' part because EXO's already performing for free.

 

So anyway, Juhyun and the girls are just at the side of the stage, watching the bands perform while looking after the program. Tiffany and Taeyeon are the MCs so they have to go up the stage everytime a band finished playing. The second to the last was done and the final performer are getting ready on the side of the stage as they standby and wait for the cue.

 

Yonghwa searched for Seohyun whom he knows is just a few feet away from him. When he finally caught her eyes, he waved at her and smiled. She did the same and mouthed the word 'fighting!' while gesturing with her right arm.

 

"All right! Now we've finally made it to the last performer of tonight's SM High's Annual Battle of the Band! Are you excited about them?" Tiffany said cheerfully through her mic, and the whole student body cheered.

 

"So before anything else, let's give some trivia about our final performer for tonight." Taeyeon continued in equal cheerfulness. "Tiffany-ah, did you know that this band's vocalist and lead guitarist is a newbie in our beloved High School?"

 

Tiffany let out an eyesmile and nodded. "Yes! Yes, of course I know, Taengoo-ah. The vocalist transferred almost a month and a half ago here at SMH and he came from Gangnam High, which we all know as a popular Music High School. So it's no wonder this transfer student is very good at different musical instruments."

 

"Right! And surely this transfer student has a very good voice since he is the vocalist of the band." Taeyeon added.

 

"Now they are flattering me too much." Yonghwa whispered at the boys who are still on the side of the stage, their hands all but sweating with nervousness.

 

"I'm quite definite about that!" Tiffany said. "Another thing is that this band is composed of good-looking and cute boys from senior year! This group of eye-candy boys are so popular here in SMH, and take note, ladies, they are all single!" She continued with much cuteness. Yonghwa snorted at that line from Tiffany.

 

"Let's not prolong the moment shall we? Let's call on this band." Taeyeon said.

 

And in chorus they both said. "Everyone, let's give it up for..

 

BLUE!"

 

The crowd cheered loudly especially the girls when Yonghwa went up stage followed by Jonghyun, Jungshin and Minhyuk.

 

Immediately after a quick set up, they started. "Good evening everyone!" Yonghwa started and the girls cheered louder. "We're Blue. And our first song is called.. LOVE."

 

The band started to play, amd Juhyun can't help but nod her head for the music is too good and the beat is lively.

 

♪ Yeah~

C. N. to the Blue

To the sky high

Get ‘em high

Yes we ready to go ♪

 

♪ Chagabge deo chagabge maleul haebwa

Nal ddeonal su ittdago

Geu maleun Mis Mis Oh Mistake

Everybody got it LA LA LA LA ♪

 

♪ Tik Tik Tok Tok nunmuli ddeoleojyeo

Digi Digi Bob Bob to the Sound

Yuijogakcheoreom buseojin

Uri du-i break it now♪

 

It's only the second time Juhyun heard Yonghwa sing, and she can't help but become amazed and go on a trance like the first time she heard him. His voice is captivating.

 

♪ Haneuli eotgalryeo noheun sarangira geuraettni

Geu maleul ideul sun eobseo ♪

 

Everyone seemed surprised when Jonghyun sang. He has a very good husky voice that makes him even more handsome. He looks seductive with his projection while singing, too, that the girls started hyperventilating.

 

♪ Tell me Why Why Why neoman weonhago ittjanha

No Bye Bye Bye geureon seulpeun maleun hajima

I can try try try dashi dolaondamyeon

You know I want to get get get your love ♪

 

But of course, Juhyun's attention is all on Yonghwa, who kept on glancing at her from time to time to which she just smiled back.

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Ggum-e-seo-ra-do ni son-eul jab-deon

Geu ddae-ro dol-a-ga-go ship-eun-de ♪

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Ggum-e-seo-ra-do dol-a-on-da-myeon

Se-sang-eul da ga-jin geot gat-eul-ten-de ♪

 

♪ Oh Oh nae-ga weon-ha-neun geon

I wanna go back ham-gge-haett-deon gudero

O-neul-do Miss Miss Missing you

Everybody got it LA LA LA LA ♪

 

♪ Tik Tik Tok Tok bit-mul-i ddeol-eo-jyeo

Digi Digi Bob Bob to the Sound

Ga-seum-i jji-jeo-ji-neun a-peum-e

U-ri dul-i Break it now ♪

 

♪ Ha-ru-man dan ha-ru-man sa-rang-hal su itt-gi-reul

I-reoh-ge ae-weon-ha-janh-a ♪

 

♪ Hold me cry cry cry nae mok-so-ri an-deul-li-ni

Oh Hi Hi Hi mae-il neo-man chat-go itt-neun-de

Tell me lie lie lie da-shi dol-a-on-da-go

You say I want to get get get your love ♪

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Ggum-e-seo-ra-do ni son-eul jab-deon

Geu ddae-ro dol-a-ga-go ship-eun-de ♪

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Ggum-e-seo-ra-do dol-a-on-da-myeon

Se-sang-eul da ga-jin geot gat-eul-ten-de ♪

 

Kyuhyun is at the far side of the crowd, far from the student councils and far from Juhyun. But he can watch her easier. He watches her watching Yonghwa. And it breaks his already broken heart to pieces.

 

♪ Yeah We make you higher, I`m ready for

CN BLUE microphone

Check one two ♪

 

♪ A-jik-do neol bu-reu-myeon dal-ryeo-ol geot gat-eun-de

I-byeol-eul mid-eul sun eobs-eo ♪

 

♪ Tell me why why why neo-man weon-ha-go itt-janh-a

No Bye bye bye geu-reon seul-peu mal-eun ha-ji-ma

I can try try try da-shi dol-a-on-da-myeon

You know I want to get get get your love ♪

 

He already made up his mind to give up on Juhyun. Yonghwa's much better for her. And besides, Kyuhyun's going to Tokyo University for college next year so Juhyun and him have to part ways. Yonghwa can take better care of her than him. So he's giving her up. He will move on.

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Ggum-e-seo-ra-do ni son-eul jab-deon

Geu ddae-ro gol-a-ga-go ship-eun-de ♪

 

♪ Love Love Love Everybody

Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me

Dan han cho-ra-do ham-gge-han-da-myeon

Se-sang-eul da ga-jin geot gat-eul-ten-de

Love Love Love ♪

 

"Thank you!" Yonghwa shouted as the song ended and the crowds once again cheered. The band kept on playing interlude as Yonghwa continued talking. "Before we play our final song tonight, I would like to introduce my band mates first." He pointed to the back.

 

"On drums, Kang Min Hyuk!" And then Minhyuk played an impressive drum roll. Yonghwa then turned to his right. "On bass, Lee Jung Shin, everybody!" The crowd applauded as Jungshin bowed. "Of course we cannot forget our Rhythms Guitar and Vocals, Lee Jonghyun!" The cheers went louder mostly because of the girls as Jonghyun skillfully strummed his guitar.

 

"And on lead guitar and vocals, yours truly, Jung Yong Hwa." He bowed and earned the loudest shouts yet (Juhyun was one of them). "Thank you again! Here's.. LOVE GIRL!" He said that while looking at Seohyun and winking at her.

 

 ♪ Tell me Tell me sarangeul malhaejweo Tell me Tell me nae sarang jeonhaejweo

Love me Love me nae pumae angyeojweo Kiss me Kiss me neomaneul saranghae ♪

 

 ♪ naega utseul ddaen nan babocheorum naega neol bol ddaen neo machi yebbun inhyungcheorum

gasumi neomu dugundugun dugungeoryeo neo ddaemune nan haruharu haengbokhaejyeo ♪

 

The song is livelier than the first and it has a happy beat. Everyone's enjoying the performance, even the judges.

 

 ♪ I want you oh my love naman barabwajweo neomaneul saranghae sesang modu byeonhaedo

Oh my love neroman bomyun ddwinun gasum eonjaekkajina neoman damgo ittseulkae ♪

 

 ♪ (L.O.V.E GIRL) nae soneul jabgo fly (L.O.V.E GIRL) narul midgo Fly high

(L.O.V.E BOY) Yes, we can fly to the sky (L.O.V.E BOY) I want to take you there baby ♪

 

Yuri and Sunny kept on nudging Juhyun since they always caught Yonghwa looking at her while singing. Juhyun just smiled at them and continued to watch him sing.

 

 ♪ Tell you Tell you sarangeun malhalkae Tell you Tell you nae sarang gobaekhae

Love you Love you nae soneul jabajweo Kiss you Kiss you yeongwonhi saranghae ♪

 

 ♪ naega deullyeojunun umagcheorum naega deullyeojunun dalkomhan gotnoraecheorum

ilbun ilchoga neomuneomu sojonghaejyeo maeil deulgo shipeo sarang sarang saranghae neol ♪

 

 ♪ I want you oh my love naman saranghaejweo neol saranghanikka darun sarang byeonhaedo

Oh my love nerorul keurin jageun gasum eonjekkajina neoman ango ittseulkae ♪

 

 ♪ (L.O.V.E GIRL) nae soneul jabgo Fly (L.O.V.E GIRL) narul midgo Fly high

(L.O.V.E BOY) Yes, we can fly to the sky (L.O.V.E BOY) I want to take you there baby ♪

 

 ♪ I want you oh my love naman barabwajweo neomaneul saranghae sesang modu byeonhaedo

oh my love neoman bomyun ddwinun gaum eonjekkajina neoman damgo ittseulkae ♪

 

This time, Yonghwa never left Seohyun's eyes. He locked in her gaze to his and sang the words of the song only for her. It's like their scene at the veranda all over again. Both in a trance because of each other's gazes.

 

 ♪ (L.O.V.E GIRL) Take Take Take my hands

(L.O.V.E GIRL) Uh uh Grab Grab Grab my hands

(L.O.V.E BOY) Yeah yeah Yes, we can fly to the sky high high

(L.O.V.E BOY) I want take u there baby ♪

 

 ♪ (L.O.V.E GIRL) Take Take Take my hands baby you (you) know What I want you

(L.O.V.E GIRL) kongkwanggeorinun shimjangsoriga deullin can u feel my beat

(L.O.V.E BOY) Take Take Take my hands baby you (you) know what I want you

(L.O.V.E BOY) nanun neo animyun an dwae neomani make me laugh you make me laugh

L.O.V.E GIRL ♪

 

Yonghwa winked at her again before saying "Thank you!' through the microphone. The crowd applauded once again and they started chanting: "MORE! MORE! MORE!"

 

Yonghwa and the boys, not knowing exactly what to do, kept on smiling and bowing at them. Tiffany and Taeyeon finally went up on stage to say something.

 

"Okay, okay! Calm down now, people!" Taeyeon shouted playfully.

 

"We'll have your wishes come true since Blue is the last band to perform. It won't hurt to play another song, right boys?" She glanced at the four boys who shook their head and smiled at her.

 

"Cool! So since it's pretty much obvious who the winner is, let's hear them play again! Once again, give it up for BLUE!"

 

The audience happily cheered.

 

"Everyone, this is 'Hey You'." Yonghwa said and Minhyuk struck his drumsticks thrice before starting the song.

 

 ♪ Na honja michidorong

neomaneul michidorong

neol saranghago saranghan geuge jalmoshiramyeon

Aniya aniya ikeon cheongmal aniya

Dudu durudu love again ♪

 

 ♪ Maeil maeil dubab dubab keoreobwah duri geoddeon georireul keoreobwah

Once again back again ge ringer ringer ringer ring

Haruharu monday tuesday better day tto useul keorago wiirohae bojiman naegen neoppuniya ♪

 

 ♪ Goodbye darling hey you oh my darling hey you

jugeul mankeum saranghae

Jebal naege dorawah jwo saranghanikka neoman anikka tashi hanbeonman love forever ♪

 

 ♪ duruduru durudu blah blah duruduru durudu

No no once again back again beautiful beautiful beautiful one day

Duruduru durudu blah blah duruduru durudu

No no saranghaneun nal tteonajima ♪

 

 ♪ na honja pabocheoreom neoks nagan pabocheoreom

Neol saranghago saranghan naega jikyeowonna bwah

Karago karago neoneun ibyeoreul marhago

Dudu durudu love again ♪

 

 ♪ oneuldo nan dubab dubab

Bulleo bwah hamkke deuddeon noraereul bulleo bwah

Once again back again ge ringer ringer ringer ring

Bami saemyeon monday tuesday better day da ijeul keorago

Maebeon dajimhaedo naegen neoppuniya ♪

 

 ♪ g-g-good bye darling uh, oh oh oh my darling you yeah yeah yeah i ready now

Apeudajanha nan an dwehndajanha say oh-e-oh oh-e-oh say no no no no no no

Tell me why hey you ♪

 

 ♪ Goodbye darling hey you oh my darling hey you

Nae sarangi neol wonhae nae gaseumi neoman wonhae haengbokhaetdeon nal keuriun nallo dwehdoragallae love together ♪

 

 ♪ duruduru durudu blah blah duruduru durudu

No no once again back again beautiful beautiful beautiful one day

Duruduru durudu blah blah duruduru durudu

No no saranghaneun nal tteonajima ♪

 

The song ended, and once again Blue thanked everyone before going down the stage. Tiffany and Taeyeon went up again.

 

"Thank you to all the participating bands of this year's SMH Battle of the Band! We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. We also would like to thank you all for coming tonight. And of course to our judges. A few minutes from now we'll announce the winner, although I think we all know who it will be, right?" Taeyeon said and the crowd screamed in agreement.

 

"BUT! But after the announcement of this year's winner, everyone SHOULD NOT GO HOME JUST YET or you will miss half of your life! We still have a very very special performance prepared for everyone!" Tiffany excitedly announced. "You know who it will be, correct?"

 

"YES!"

 

"Good!"

 

Juhyun went upstage to give the MCs something.

 

"Ooh~ it seems that here is the result of the winners." Taeyeon announced. "We will mention the second and first runner up first, of course."

 

And then Tiffany announced the two runners-up and handes them their prizes. Juhyun was supposed to go down the stage but Taeyeon stopped her from doing so.

 

"And now, the much-awaited result. Shall we announced it, Taengoo-ah?" Tiffany asked.

 

"I think it's much better if Seo Ju Hyun, secretary of Student Council and the Top student in all of SM High, will have the honor of announcing it." Taeyeon said, and Tiffany nodded furiously in agreement.

 

"B-but.." Juhyun started to protest but Tiffany handed her the envelope and the mic.

 

"Go for it, Juhyun!" She said.

 

Juhyun blinked twice and inhaled deeply. She opened the envelope and read what's inside of the paper in it.

 

"And the winner for this year's SM High Battle of the Band is..

 

BLUE! Congratulations!"

 

There was a roar of screams and cheers from the audience. The four boys came up the stage again to receive their award. Tiffany slightly pushed Juhyun to Yonghwa and she bumped to him. Yonghwa was fast enough to catch her and hold her arms.

 

"Um. Congratulations." She managed to whisper as they both stare at each other's eyes.

 

Yonghwa swallowed thickly, realizing that their faces are only a few inches apart. "T-thanks."

 

"Ahem!" Taeyeon interrupted the two, and finally they were able to look away at each other and Yonghwa dropped his hold on Juhyun's arms. "Yonghwa, we were just saying about your 'Thank You' speech. You know, since you are the leader."

 

"B-but I'm not the leader. Jonghyun is..." He looked at the three boys, and they all signalled him about something only the four of them could understand.

 

"Oh, right! Yeah. Thanks, Taeyeon." He cleared his throat, but before he even started speaking, Tiffany whispered to him.

 

"Can you make it faster? I wanna see EXO already!"

 

He just smiled at the impatient girl before starting again. "So yeah. Thanks for this. We appreciate it. To think that we're first timers and we received this award.. It's a real honor." He paused for a bit, and the three boys nodded at him. He inhaled deeply. "And I would like to dedicate this award to a girl.."

 

"Ooooh~" The audience reacted, and Yonghwa looked at Juhyun who's just a few feet away by his side.

 

"Seo Ju Hyun." He said while looking straight into the girl's eyes. "This one's for you. And I have something to say to you.."

 

"Ooooh~" chorused the audience once again, earning a chuckle from Yonghwa. Juhyun, though, wasn't moving and obviously stunned by what he's doing.

 

"But I have to tell you in private, of course."

 

"Awww~" Said the audience.

 

He laughed and continued. "Are you going to watch EXO perform?" He asked, but before she could answer, Tiffany answered for her. "Of course she is! Hurry up! Hurry up!"

 

Yonghwa scratched his head while laughing again. "Okay." He cleared his throat and looked at Juhyun again. "So after watching EXO, please meet me at the rooftop of our school building. I'll be waiting for you there until midnight. And I hope you will come." And then he gave her his sweetest smile.

 

"Alright, alright! Time's up! Go down, you guys! Shoo! Shoo!" Tiffany almost pushed Taeyeon, Juhyun and the four boys down the stage, earning hearty laugh from the audience.

 

Tiffany's eyes can't be seen because of her smile. "And now, the moment we, especially yours truly, have been all waiting for. We all know them as the 12-member, newest group from SM Entertainment. And they captivated all of us with their awesome dance skills, captivating voices, and gorgeous looks. Everyone, let's all give it up for.. EXO!"

 

The audience (especially the girls, of course) went wild when the intro for the song MAMA started. Six boys filled up the stage and dance and sing gracefully.

 

 ♪ Careless, careless.

Shoot anonymous, anonymous.

Heartless, mindless.

No one, who care about me? ♪

 

 ♪ Shi luo de gan jue

Shui zai hu zhi you ren nai

Wo zai ye wu fa jie shou

Bi shang le shuang yan ♪

 

 ♪ MAMA ke bu ke yi qing gao su wo

Wei shen me ren hui bian de bu yi yang

Na xie ting shuo guo de

Mei li ri zi shi zhen de cun zai guo ma ♪

 

"OMO OMO OMO! SOMEBODY PINCH ME! IT'S LUHAN! MY LUHAN! OH GOD! OH MY GOD! KYAAAAAAAA LUHAN SARANGHAE!" Tiffany spazzed on the spot and Taeyeon gave her a smack in the head instead of just a pinch just so she would calm down, but to no avail.

 

 ♪ Zao jiu wang le ying gai

Yao geng nu li ai zhe ta

Zao jiu wang le xin qu bao rong ta

Zi gu zi de sheng huo shi

Fou jia zhuang ji xu mang ♪

 

 ♪ Yin xing zai ni de mian ju bei

Hou chong man xu duo de biao qing

Dao zui hou que shi zhong ru yi

Zhen de geng hao ma ♪

 

At this point, everyone with femininity started fangirling and singing with the boys and waving their hands on the air.

 

 ♪ Wo men yao zhe yang

Bu zai kan bi ci de yan shen ma

Bu zai dui wo jiang hua ma

Bu zai shuo ni ai wo ma

Jiu suan shou le shang

Yan lei ye ru yu de xia

Gai bian jiu neng jie da

Gai bian jiu neng dao da

Gao su wo MAMA MAMA ♪

 

Another six boys appeared on stage and the audience seemed to go even crazier.

 

"SHOOT ANONYMOUS EXO-KEIIIIIII!" Tiffany screamed.

 

 ♪ Dou wang le shen me shi hou

Kai shi wo men bei guan zai cong ming li tou

Wo de shi jie zhi zai ling he yi de

Zhi zuo zhong du guo

Mei you sheng ming li mei gan qing

Mei tian hao wu gen ju

Yue jiu jiu geng ji mo

Zhi you zi ji shou shang he nan guo ♪

 

"UWAAAAAA! OH MY GOD CHANYEOOOOOL! I LOVE YOU PARK CHAN YEOL!" Yuri screamed at the top of her lungs.

 

"Suho-ah! Waaaaa Kim Jun Myeon I LOVE YOU! Marry me!" Sunny squealed. Taeyeon, being a fangirl of Suho, glared at the smaller girl.

 

 ♪ Xiang yu he qian shou

Gan shou lei he xiao rong

Yue tie jin de pin lu

Wo men kai xin gan ying

Ke neng hui lai ma

Yin xing zai ni de mian

Ju bei hou chong man xu duo de biao qing

Dao zui hou que shi zhong ru yi

Zhe yang zhen de geng hao ma ♪

 

 ♪ Wo men yao zhe yang

Bu zai kan bi ci de yan shen ma

Bu zai dui wo jiang hua ma

Bu zai shuo ni ai wo ma

Jiu suan shou le shang

Yan lei ye ru yu de xia

Gai bian jiu neng jie da

Gai bian jiu neng dao da

Gao su wo MAMA MAMA♪

 

 ♪ Turn back!♪

 

 ♪ Zui hou wo nu hou

Wo kuang qi wo hui wen

Bu xiang yao shi jie bian de leng

Qing bang bang wo MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA turn back

Gao su wo MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA rolling back ♪

 

"KAI! YOU Y BEAST! KAIIIII WAAAAA!"

 

"I LOVE YOU KIM JONG IN! KYAAAAA!" Yoona and Hyoyeon shouted almost at the same time.

 

"HOLY GUACAMOLE KRIS! WU YI FAN OMG KRIS KRIS KRIS!" Jessica hollered in delight.

 

 ♪ Zhui zhu shi kong

Kan shui dou hen leng mo

You xi bu hui zhe yang zuo

Qing bang bang wo

MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA

Turn back!

Yeah~ ♪

 

 ♪ Careless, careless. (MAMA)

Shoot anonymous, anonymous. (MAMA)

Hearless, mindless. (MAMA)

No one, who care about me? (MAMA) ♪

 

 ♪ Yin wei shou dao le zhu fu

Wo neng gan jue dao zhen de kuai le

Duo xiang yao mei tian ren shi geng duo de ren ♪

 

"LUUUUHAAAAN! LUHAN OMO I'M DYING HERE!" Tiffany yelled.

 

 ♪ Ba sui le de xin chong wen

Zhi yao you ai de dan chun

Zhao hui wo yuan ben xiao rong li de zhen~ ♪

 

 ♪ Wo men yao zhe yang

Bu zai kan bi ci de yan shen ma

Bu zai dui wo jiang hua ma

Bu zai shuo ni ai wo ma

Jiu suan shou le shang

Yan lei ye ru yu de xia

Gai bian jiu neng jie da

Gai bian jiu neng dao da

Gao su wo MAMA MAMA ♪

 

 ♪ Careless, careless.

Shoot anonymous, anonymous.

Heartless, mindless.

No one, who care about me? ♪

 

The song finished, and the twelve boys lined up on stage.

 

"Tiffany! Tiffany go up! Hurry!" Juhyun pushed the girl up on stage.

 

"Oh my God! I'm sweating furiously! How do I look? OMO eotteohkke? Goodness!" Tiffany said to herself as she walked closer to the twelve boys. Her eyes widened as she saw Luhan at the end of the line, meaning she will have to stand beside him.

 

Good thing the girl has got a talent of keeping her cool at any situation she's into so she managed to stand there beside her ultimate crush without melting into a pink slime.

 

"Hello and welcome to SM High's Annual School Festival! I'm Tiffany and I'm the host for tonight." She gave them her best eyesmile, and she's sure she's not hallucinating when Luhan and Kris--who's beside Luhan--smiled back at her. "Though it's not really necessary to do so.. Please introduce yourself!" She gave the mic to Luhan who gracefully took it from her while bowing, his fingers brushing lightly on hers, making the girl blush in contact. Luhan passed the mic to the others until it reached the middle.

 

"Hana dul set..

 

WE ARE ONE!

 

WE ARE EXO!

 

Annyeong hasaeyo!"

 

The audience went ballistic again as the twelve gorgeous boys bowed down. Tiffany was slightly and furtively fanning herself with her hands. Meanwhile, Juhyun, Taeyeon and Jessica are fancamming down the stage.

 

After a few questions to the boys, to which she always focuses to Luhan and even made him do a 'buing buing' (which failed epicly, though still so cute), she finally said, "We know that you prepared another song for us, should you introduced it yourself?"

 

"Okay. But before that, thank you for having us here!" Luhan smiled and reached for Tiffany's hand as if to shake it. Tiffany held out her hand and when Luhan took it, he pulled her into a hug that surprises everyone, especially Tiffany. After two seconds, Kris and Chanyeol followed and she's now enveloped by the three's bear hug. Xiumin and Kai playfully pulled the three off of her.

 

"Yah! You're molesting her! She's a minor!" Baekhyun said while laughing. The audience laughed with them.

 

"Aigoo! Jwesunghamnida!" Luhan said, giving the crimson-faced girl his infamous wide smile, while Chanyeol and Kris scratched the back of their heads while chuckling. Tiffany, on the other hand, was stunned about what just happened. Taeyeon finally went up and pulled the poor girl down the stage while bowing at the boys and the audience.

 

Finally, the lights dimmed and the boys positioned. Then the intro of 'History' played into the loud sound system.

 

 ♪ Listen

Ganjue dao meiyou

Wo de xinzang

Ting diaole jiezou

My heart be breakin'

Leishui cengjing

Fennu de diao luo

Dasheng sihou (Ha! )

Yi bu xiang yihou

My pain be creepin' ♪

 

 ♪ Hui de yan liulian lan de tian rang wuwei jiaoxiao bian cheng paomo

Bu han weisuo

Chuncui de zhizhuo ♪

 

 ♪ Yuan di tabuguo duojiu zai zhe xin de qi shidian zhanzhe shi wo

Guanka yiyi dou jipo fangqi zai wo zidian mei luruguo

Women yi fen liangtou ben shi taiyang ban yiti jiegou

Oh, Oh ♪

 

 ♪ Wo jiangluo zhege shijie de liyou

I need you and you want me

Zai zhege lan se xingti

Oh, Oh

Oh, Oh

Every, Every, Everyday

Wo chuangzao de History ♪

 

"Tiffany, are you okay?" Juhyun asked. The girl just nodded, not keeping her eyes off the performers. Okay. Tiffany Hwang lost her cool. Because of the hug. The bear hugs from her top three biases. We cannot blame her. Right?

 

The performance ended with a bang, literally. Fireworks display colored the night sky as EXO left the stage.

 

Having the advantage of being students councils, Tiffany, Taeyeon and Jessica hurried to meet them backstage and take pictures with them.

 

"Are you sure you don't wanna come?" Jessica asked Juhyun for the second time.

 

The girl just shooked her head. "Nah. You girls go ahead. I have my fancam already anyway."

 

"Psh. If I know, you just want to hurry up and go so you can meet your prince charming!" Taeyeon teased, her looks turning dorky.

 

"W-what? Of course not! I.. I'm just contented with my fancam, that's all!" Juhyun defended herself as she blush furiously.

 

"Tsk tsk. Whatever you say, Seororo! Just don't give the guy a hardtime, okay? Be good to him." Tiffany said.

 

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

 

Tiffany just winked and patted her shoulder. "We'll go now! Luhan's waiting for me backstage! Hahaha! Fighting!"

 

And then she was left by the three running to the backstage.

 

Juhyun sighed, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness feeling her body and focusing in her stomach. "Now what?" She asked herself.

 

She looked around and tried to see if Yonghwa is still around, but she cannot find him. Finally, with a deep breath, she walked towards the direction of the school building.

 

As she got nearer to the entrance, she saw a male figure leaning against the wall beside the glass doors. She squinted her eyes and ecognized the familiar built of her best friend's body.

 

"Kyuhyuniee!" She called while waving at him.

 

"Hi, Juhyuniee!" He greeted as Juhyun walked closer to him. "You going up the rooftop to meet him?"

 

"Yes."

 

The guy nodded, and then smiled at her. "C'mon, I'll walk you there. It's kind of dark in the hallways." He signalled her to follow with his hand.

 

They went upstairs accompanied with silence. Juhyun felt that something's wrong with Kyuhyun, but she couldn't put a finger on it. She then decided to break the silence.

 

"What are you doing at the entrance before I came?"

 

Kyuhyun smiled at her. "I was waiting for you."

 

"Why?"

 

"Because.." For a second time there, Kyuhyun was tempted to tell her his real feelings. But seeing that he really is too late, he changed his mind. "Because.. Hm.. So I can walk you up there. Yeah, that's right. It's dark here." He nodded as he lied his excuse away.

 

Juhyun laughed, releasing the tensions she's feeling "Oh, Kyuhyuniee. But really, I can manage. I'm not a little girl anymore."

 

"Yah~ I'm being kind here. Show some gratitude." He muttered, feigning hurt as he gripped his chest with his left hand and making Juhyun laugh again.

 

"Alright. Thank you, dear Kyuhyuniee. I don't know what to do without you!" She teasingly said before giggling again.

 

Kyuhyun ruffled her hair as he smiled sadly. "Juhyuniee?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"I want you to be happy, okay?"

 

"Um.. Okay~" Juhyun murmured, not knowing where the conversation is suddenly going. "If he hurt you, tell me. Just tell me, so he can talk to my fists." He said with a stern voice. She just bobbed her head.

 

"And if you cried when and while your with him, even if it's not his fault, tell me, too, so I can kick his sorry ."

 

"Cho Kyu Hyun!" Juhyun scolded.

 

"I'm not done yet!" Kyuhyun looked at her, his face awfully serious. They are almost at the door to the rooftop. He faced her and put his strong hands on her shoulders, locking his gaze to hers. Juhyun looked stunned. She has never seen her best friend this serious before. Ever.

 

"Seo Ju Hyun. If ever.. If ever he left you.. If ever you don't want him anymore.." He took a deep breath before continuing, knowing this is a vain attempt to at least give her some hints about his true feelings for her. "You can always come back to me. I am always here for you. Always, okay? Remember that."

 

Juhyun tore her gaze away from him. She looked down to her clothes, pretending to brush something off. "Yah, Cho Kyu Hyun! What's with you? Why so serious? It's not like I'm going to leave you. What's the matter?" And then she eyed his face again.

 

Kyuhyun just bit his lower lip before answering. "Nothing."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah. Nothing."

 

"Really?"

 

He sighed. "Fine. I'm saying these things because I know.. I know that once you went in and out of that door.." He pointed at the door to the rooftop. "You will be different."

 

"What are you--"

 

"See? Nothing!" He pushed Juhyun to the door lightly. "Go in now. He is waiting for you."

 

"Okay, okay! No need to push me! Geez!"

 

He chuckled as they both stop in front of the door.

 

"Cho Kyu Hyun, you know that I love you right?" Juhyun smiled.

 

He looked down before returning her smile. He completely knows she does not mean those words more than love for their friendship.

 

"Of course!" He answered brightly, but his smile did not reach his eyes. The girl did not notice it, though. "And I love you, too, Juhyuniee. You're the most important girl in my life. Next to my mom. And my grandmom." He added playfully.

 

She laughed. "Fine, fine. I got it. I'll go in now. Thanks again."

 

"No problem!"

 

"See you later!" She said as she opened the door and stepped outside to the rooftop.

 

He waved at her lightly, and as the door closed in front of him, he heard himself whisper,

 

"That's a lie. You're the most important."

 

 

--

 

 

As she stepped in the rooftoop, Juhyun's eyes widened at the sight before her.

 

The rooftop is twinkling with Christmas lights, even though it's not yet Christmas. Her path is surrounded by pink flowers of different kinds and little scented candles. In the center of the rooftop is a pavillion-like, built-in white tent, which is also surrounded with tea lights and another bunch of flowers. There were also pink see-through curtains wrapped on the poles of the tent, giving it a look of elegant cuteness. There's a table set inside the tent with two chairs at either sides.

 

Juhyun finally manage to avert her eyes at the beautiful scene. She focused at the figure standing a bit far away from her, his back facing her. She took another deep breath and gracefully marched her way towards him. The figure heard her footsteps and faced her. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, making her heart do somersaults.

 

"Hello." She chirped softly.

 

"Hi." Jung Yong Hwa took in her sight. "I thought you'd never come." He added, relief evident in his voice.

 

"I'm here now." She said awkwardly, making him smirk.

 

"I can see that."

 

Juhyun blushed, and he thought she's really beautiful. 'Geez, I'm madly head-over-heels,' he thought.

 

"So.. Let's eat first?" He said, touching her elbow lightly to guide her back to the table. Juhyun resisted the urge to flinch from his touch because of the sudden electric jolt she felt. He pulled a chair for her, and she sat down.

 

When they were both settled, Yonghwa looked at his left and made a signal. A few seconds later, Jungshin appeared with a tray of appetizers and drinks in his hand. Juhyun noted his change of outfit, from his band clothes to a waiter's clothes, complete with a black bowtie and a waist apron. She suppressed her laughter by biting her lower lip.

 

"Enjoy your dinner." Jungshin said in a waiter-like manner and this time Juhyun cannot help but giggle. She's been giggling a lot tonight, it seems. Jungshin winked at her before leaving the two alone again.

 

"Let's eat." Yonghwa said again whilst looking amusely at her.

 

Juhyun started on her salad, and Yonghwa did the same, his ridiculous smile not leaving his face. He seemed to enjoy the look Juhyun has on her face.

 

"So.." She started. "What's with all this?" She asked as she gave another look at the whole place.

 

Yonghwa shrugged. "You know.. Since we won.. I thought I'd celebrate it with you."

 

She raised her eyebrow. "You planned this beforehand, right?"

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"So you knew your band will win?"

 

He blinked twice before answering her right away, thinking of an excuse. Nothing came up, though, unfortunately for him. "Um. No. Um. It's just.. You know.. Um.."

 

"Um what?"

 

He scrathes his head as he smiled awkwardly at her. "Can't we just continue eating? There's still the main course and dessert."

 

Juhyun eyed him suspiciously and narrowed her eyes at him. To his relief, she let it go and resumed eating.

 

Their dinner continued, with Jonghyun serving the entrée which was beef steak, and Minhyuk serving a special chocolate cake. The almost-couple kept a light conversation, mainly focusing on the day's events.

 

"Now," Yonghwa said as the table was cleared and they are just finishing their sodas. "Can we talk about us?"

 

Juhyun was caught off guard by his sudden question that she was not able to answer. Yonghwa stood up and held his hand to her, which she took slowly. She was pulled by him to the edge of the rooftop, to the railings. The view overlooks the school grounds where the school festival was held. The grounds were almost empty since students already dispersed after the fireworks display.

 

"Seohyun.." He called, making her heart thud a bit louder than it should be. She just looked at him.

 

"Listen," He started fiddling his fingers while looking at his shoes. "I know it's a little too early to ask you, and I know it's a bit fast on my part since I haven't showed you much of myself yet. But I thought this is the right time to tell you this and ask you, too. You might think I'm just using the advantage of winning the battle earlier and you must be thinking I am such a heady or boastful or braggy guy. Or maybe this is really a wrong timing because--"

 

"Yonghwa." She stopped him. The guy was obviously gabbling nonsense. And she cannot understand what his point is.

 

"I'm sorry." He grinned sheepishly before clearing his throat. "I was babbling, wasn't I?"

 

She crinkled her nose. "Yeah, a little."

 

"Alright. So I was saying.. Well, you probably don't want to answer this. I know this is fast and it's just been a few weeks since I--"

 

"Jung Yong Hwa!" She shouted this time and laughed at his ridiculousness. "You're doing it again."

 

"Oh, right! Sorry, Seohyun."

 

She nodded, before rolling her eyes at him. "Go on.."

 

"Well.. I know I'm not perfect and I have many flaws and I know you might not like me as much as I--"

 

"Just get it on, would you?!"

 

"WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?!"

 

That left her frozen.

 

They stared at each other for an unknown time. Juhyun was still shocked and dazed from his sudden query and was slightly hanging. On the other hand, Yonghwa was also stunned at his abrupt inquiry since he was a bit pressured and nervous while in front of her that he just blurted the words. Shoot anonymous.

 

Her face started turning into a shade of light pink, to pink, to red, until it turned crimson. She felt as if all of her blood left the rest of her body and went up to her head as she process his sentence. She seemed to have lost her voice as well as her poise since is still open.

 

Yonghwa blinked and swallowed thickly. 'Why isn't she answering? Doesn't she like me? Is she okay? Is she mad? What have I done?' These questions filled his mind as the seconds ticked to minutes and Seohyun remained silent.

 

He finally decided to asked her again, it's now or never anyway. "Seohyun? Um.."

 

"Shut up. I'm still processing it." She said in the cold tone she used to use at Yonghwa. He smiled and nodded upon hearing it. He kind of misses that tone. He fell for her even when she was still using that ice-cold tone to him.

 

"Take your time."

 

And take her time, she did. Almost ten minutes had passed, and Yonghwa grew more anxious as he waited for her. She just kept herself mummed, eyeing him the whole time as if debating with her inner self. The idea made him want to bang his head on the railings because of nervousness. The chocolate cake he ate for dessert is starting to come back up his throat. So gross..

 

"I have decided," she suddenly announced, making him jumped a little.

 

"W-what is it?"

 

"As long as I can keep my  Sergeant Keroro stuffs, we're cool." She said matter-of-factly.

 

Yonghwa's forehead wrinkled as he digested what she said. And then he lightened up and smiled broadly. "Is that a yes?"

 

She shrugged and arched her eyebrow again. In her coldest voice she said, "What do you think?"

 

"Oh, Seohyun!" He surprised her by hugging her all of sudden, almost crushing her to his chest while grinning like a doofus. He cannot contain his happiness. It feels like he's floating from it. And then he can feel her laughter vibrating against him.

 

"Yah, I didn't say yes, you know." She murmured as she wrapped her arms on his waist.

 

"Oh, yes, you did."

 

"No, I did not."

 

"Yes, you did."

 

"No, I did not."

 

He chuckled. "Yes, you did. Just shut up, girlfriend."

 

Seohyun pulled away and glared at him. "Ooh~ so now that I'm your girlfriend, you're just making me shut up? Wow, daebak, jjnjja!"

 

This made him burst into laughter. "Ha! See, you're my girlfriend. You said it yourself!" And then he embraced her again and kissed the top of her head before sighing. 'Ah~ everything feels so perfectly right now,' he thought joyfully to himself.

 

They stayed like that for a while before he called her name again.

 

"Seohyun.."

 

"What now?"

 

"Do you love me?"

 

He felt her stiffened around his arms. After a minute, she sighed. "Unfortunately, I do." She muttered, her words muffled by his chest.

 

He pulled away and held her at arms length. "Yah, what do you mean 'unfortunately'?" He pouted, making the girl--his girl--giggle yet again.

 

"I'm kidding."

 

"Good." He said as he pulled her back to his arms.

 

"Do you?" She asked.

 

"Do I what?"

 

"You know.. Do you?"

 

"Do I what?" He asked again, knowing exactly what she meant.

 

She slapped his back. "Do you love me, too?"

 

He inhaled her scent first before pulling away once again. He cupped her face between his hands and stared deeply into her pools, not a hard thing to do, by the way, with her eyes so deep.

 

"Yes. I do, Seo Ju Hyun. I love you." And then he smiled. "Oh, scratch that. I don't just love you. I am in love with you." He said loud and clear, sincerity flooding his voice.

 

Juhyun felt her heart swell with his words. She knew that moment that he's telling the truth, and that she equally has the same feelings for him, too. That moment, she also realized, that hating this good boy was a vain attempt to shoo him away. He is a very hard person to despise, because, well, he is that. A good boy. The only boy who managed to melt her ice-cold heart back to its true warmth. Not even her bestfriend was able to do that. She is thankful for Yonghwa, since because of him, her grudge for her father is almost gone. Almost. It is still there, it is not easy to erase, but it is fading. He helped her to be back to her old self. The warm one, the kind one (to the boys, that is. Juhyun always has been kind), though sometimes, her being an ice princess just came flashing. Maybe it has gotten into her. At least she's not allergic to boys anymore.

 

"Seohyun, I just told you I am in love with you. Shouldn't you be answering back?" Yonghwa said playfully.

 

"Oh. Should I? Sorry, I don't know how this works." She joked.

 

He narrowed his eyes at her, making her laugh out loud. "You should laugh more often, Seohyun. I love it when you do that. Ani, I don't just love it when you laugh. I love you. Period."

 

"Hm. Is this the moment when I should be saying 'I love you, too'?" She asked smiling mischievously while tilting her head sideways. He just nodded while smiling back.

 

"Okay, then." She put her hands on either sides of his face like he did to her a while ago and stared into his eyes. "Jung Yong Hwa. I love you, too. Ah, scratch that. I don't just love you, too. I am in love with you, too." She said, borrowing his used sentences, and her declaration rang happily in Yonghwa's ears. He could not help but grin even wider while his eyes twinkle.

 

"And now she said it." He murmured before leaning down and kissing her full on the lips as fireworks once again have a spectacular display in the sky, the same time as the two felt their hearts beat as one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-THE END-

 

 

--

 

 

 

THANK YOU FOR READING!

 

Sorry if I disappointed you in the ending, I did my best to keep it simple just like that. But I guess it's still not good since I wasn't satisfied. And I also felt pressured since this is actually a gift for my best friend. Shhh~

 

And sorry for inserting all those ExoFany moments right there. I cannot help my Sonexotic self XD. I imagined myself as Tiffany while writing those parts.. LoL I am a hopeless fangirl OTL.

 

Oh, well. I hope you enjoyed my first YongSeo fanfic since I enjoyed writing it so much. Do support my other stories, too, if you like. Thanks!

 

Comments are loved. So.. please? ^^

 

Thank you again! :)

 

-Chin-

 

<3